Soldiers stand at attention during the deployment ceremony for the 164th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 2d Engineer Brigade, U.S. Army Alaska, at the Alaska National Guard Armory, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014, on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Soldiers are deploying for about five months to the island of Guam to provide site security for a facility there. As part of the deployment ceremony the company was awarded the prestigious Command Sgt. Maj. Farley Award for being the best military police company in U.S. Army Pacific. The award was presented by retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Mark L. Farley himself, who was the first enlisted military police Soldier to lead as the senior enlisted adviser at the 2, 3 and 4-star level commands, eventually retiring as the command sergeant major of U.S. Army Europe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher/Released)
The Malian military says an attack on an army base just outside the capital, Bamako, was carried out by an al-Qaeda-linked group.
It says Katiba Macina used two cars packed with explosives to target the Kati camp, the army’s main military base.
A statement says seven assailants were killed and one soldier died.
People living in the area reported hearing heavy gunfire for around an hour and saw helicopters circling above the base, which is just 15km (nine miles) from Bamako.
For more than a decade, Islamist militants have been carrying out frequent attacks in Mali – but it is extremely rare for the jihadists to hit targets so close to the capital.
The violence comes as France is withdrawing its troops from the country after falling out with Mali’s military leaders.
