KIGALI, Rwanda

Five soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants in central Mali, the army said Sunday.

In a statement, the Malian Defense and Security Forces said "an as yet unidentified armed terrorist group" staged an ambush in the Macina Circle, an administrative subdivision of Mali’s Segou region.

The military patrol "reacted vigorously" to the ambush, killing three attackers, the statement said.

Five Malian military vehicles were set on fire and three of the attackers’ vehicles were destroyed, according to the army.

Mali has been battling an insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS since 2012, when unrest erupted in the north of the West African country. The violence, which has killed thousands of civilians and troops, has since spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.

An attack last month on civilians in northern Mali near the border with Niger left 50 civilians killed and several wounded.

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution last month renewing sanctions measures against Mali for one year.

The measures, including a travel ban and asset freeze, apply to targeted individuals and entities as designated by the Sanctions Committee.