An Al-Qaeda affiliate group claimed a deadly suicide attack in a strategic garrison town near the Malian capital, Bamako, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militants' statements.

The Malian army previously blamed the Katiba Macina group for the Friday attack with two vehicle-borne bombs that killed at least one soldier in Kati, the heart of the Malian military establishment.

The attack was also near the residence of the head of the ruling junta Assimi Goita and the Defense Minister.

The group claimed to have deployed two suicide bombers and "commando fighters".

In a statement, the media unit for the Al-Qaeda affiliate group, Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen, confirmed that its Katiba Macina branch carried out the attack.

"If you have the right to hire mercenaries to kill defenseless innocents, then we have the right to destroy and target you," the statement said, referring to paramilitaries linked to Russian private security group Wagner.

It is noteworthy that the Jama'at Nusrat Al-Islam wal Muslimeen is the main militant alliance in the Sahel and is linked to Al-Qaeda.