The fight against terrorist insurgents continues in Mali. The national armed forces announced Friday that more that 60 alleged terrorists were killed in the country’s troubled central region. It is there that suspected jihadists massacred more than 130 civilians on June 18.
Mali: Armed forces say more than 60 terrorists killed after Diallasougou massacre
Malian soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, northern Mali, Tuesday Feb. 5, 2013.
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Jerome Delay/AP
The authorities also reported that " two look-outs were neutralized ". In a separate operation in the South of the country, " eight suspected terrorist were arrested ”.
The military announcement came on the same day as the prime suspects of the latest mass killings repportedly rejected any responsibility in the attack.
The Malian government blamed the Macina Katiba for the massacre of civilians in Diallassagou and two nearby towns in the central part of the country.
The al-Qaeda affiliated terror group was created in 2015 and has repeatedly occupied towns in the central region of Mopti despite pressure.
Since 2012, the jihadi threat has spread from Mali to central and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger. In the bloodbath, thousands of civilians were forced to flee.