Bamako, July 19 (SANA)At least 50 Malian soldiers were killed after armed assailants attacked an army convoy near the strategic northern town of Anéfis, military sources said on Sunday, in one of the deadliest assaults on the country’s armed forces in more than a year.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing military sources, reported that the attack took place on Saturday as the convoy was leaving Anéfis for the northern city of Gao.

A local official described the preliminary toll as “very heavy,” saying at least 24 soldiers had been captured during the assault.

The attack is among the deadliest suffered by the Malian army since fighting escalated 15 months ago.

Military and security sources had reported on Saturday that armed militants ambushed the convoy as it departed Anéfis, a key military position in northernMali,for Gao.