The U.S.-based SITE group reported that al-Qaeda-linked fighters killed 21 Malian soldiers and captured two others in coordinated attacks on Tuesday in Farabougou and Béréké-Wéré.

The Malian army confirmed the assaults without releasing a casualty toll.

Group Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin claimed responsibility, saying it overran a military base, seized vehicles and weapons, and carried out an IED blast in the strategic Ségou region, amid escalating insurgency in the Sahel.