An Al-Qaeda affiliate ​and Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility on Saturday for coordinated attacks across Mali, in one of the boldest operations insurgents have launched in their campaign against the…

Mali's defence minister has died after an attack on his house, as the army fought a second day of battles with jihadist fighters and separatist rebels near the capital Bamako and other cities.

An Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group said Saturday that its fighters had joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch attacks against the army across junta-ruled Mali. Helicopters buzzed over Bamako and around the international airport and fighting was reported at a nearby military base in what was one of the most complex attacks in years in the impoverished west African country.

The Malian military confirmed the attacks in a statement, saying the assailants “suffered immediate setback” and that many were “neutralised.”

Mali’s Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in coordinated attacks targeting military sites, officials said, marking a major blow to the ruling junta. The killing comes amid a surge in violence by jihadist and rebel groups, raising fresh concerns over security in the West African nation. FRANCE 24's Justice Baidoo reports

A spate of attacks was coordinated by Tuareg separatists and jihadis with links to al-Qaeda. Among them, a car bomb in Bamako killed Mali's defense minister.

The fighting left 16 civilians and soldiers wounded and caused "limited material damage," the government said in a statement.

Tuareg rebels fighting Mali's army on Sunday announced an agreement allowing Russian Africa Corps forces to withdraw from Kidal, leaving the northern town "totally" under their control. Jihadist fighters…