Armed men staged an attack on an army post in a northern Mali village early Monday, killing at least 10 soldiers, a resident said.
The attackers came on motorcycles around 5 a.m. into Gourma-Rharouss, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of of the northern city of Timbuktu, said resident Moussa Cisse.
"They killed 10 soldiers, including a lieutenant. They burned two Malian army vehicles before leaving the village," he said.
A soldier said the men cried out "Allahu Akbar" as they left. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak to the press.
Defense Ministry adviser Lt. Col. Diarran Kone confirmed the attack without giving a death toll.
The attack comes two days after two Malian soldiers were killed and five were injured in the south during an ambush on their convoy. The ambush occurred roughly 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the capital, Bamako.
Attacks by Islamic extremists have moved into Mali's south this year.
Mali's north fell under the control of Islamic extremists following a military coup in 2012. A French-led military intervention in 2013 scattered the extremists, though the region remains insecure despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers.
Mali's government signed a peace deal with Tuareg separatist rebels earlier this year.