According to media reports, more than 25 Malian army troops were slain and over 30 others were injured in an insurgent attack in the country's central region.

According to the Malian army, the ambush killed 27 troops, injured 33, and left seven missing. The military was able to eliminate 47 insurgents.

According to a French military source, hundreds of jihadists stormed a military barracks where roughly 150 soldiers were stationed. The assailants took control of 21 military vehicles, including tanks.

On February 18, Mali's transitional government asked France on Friday to withdraw its forces from the Sahel state "without delay", calling into question Paris' plans to pull out over several months. 

A government spokesperson added in a statement announced on public television that the results of France's nine-year military engagement in Mali were "not satisfactory". 

French President Emmanuel Macron had announced that he was withdrawing troops from Mali after a breakdown in relations with the nation's ruling military junta.