Fifteen soldiers killed in Mali attacks - army

The Mali army reports that coordinated attacks in the country's southwest, where a jihadist insurgency is waging, have killed 15 troops and three civilians.

According to a statement, the attacks on military camps in Sokolo and the area of Kalumba were thwarted, and nearly 50 insurgents perished in the process.

A third assault close to Mopti had no fatalities.

A decade-long insurgency by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization has been taking place in Mali.

The military leaders of the nation have started looking to Russia for assistance after long-standing French assistance was turned down.