Dhaka, Aug. 20 -- Al Qaeda-linked militants killed 21 soldiers during coordinated attacks in Mali on Tuesday, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based non-governmental organisation that tracks online reports by Islamist militants.

Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said it captured two soldiers, seized 15 military vehicles and more than 50 weapons during the "widescale" operation.

Mali's army declined to provide a toll on Wednesday but said its outposts in Farabougou and Biriki-Were came under "simultaneous attack" early on Tuesday, according to a military statement.

JNIM said they had taken control of a military barracks and militia positions in Farabougou on Tuesday and detonated an improvised explosive device ag...