"He engaged the attackers, managing to eliminate some of them… During intense fighting, he was wounded and transported to the hospital, where, unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries," the spokesman said in a video posted by Malian broadcaster ORTM on its social media page.
The attack has been attributed to the Jama'at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM)*, affiliated with al-Qaeda*, amid coordinated assaults on multiple locations across the country.
*Terrorist groups outlawed in Russia and many other countries