DAKAR, Jan 4 (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s branch in North Africa has claimed responsibility for killing two French soldiers who died when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in eastern Mali, Site Intelligence Group reported on Monday.

The soldiers were on a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering mission in the eastern region of Menaka when the blast occurred.

The group, known as Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin or JNIM, condemned the “indiscriminate” killing of 100 civilians in western Niger over the weekend, SITE Intel said.

(Reporting by Bate Felix Editing by Chris Reese)

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