Militants attack Mali's main military base, situation 'under control'

FILE PHOTO: A man rides a motorcycle as he drives past the entrance of the Malian army force base in Kati, Mali May 25, 2021. REUTERS/Amadou Keita

KATI, Mali (Reuters) -Islamist militants struck Mali's main military base, just outside the capital Bamako, on Friday in a complex attack involving car bombs, but the armed forces said they had repelled the assault and had the situation under control.

Militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have repeatedly raided bases across Mali during a decade-long insurgency concentrated in the north and centre but never so close to Bamako in the south.