BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Armed men attacked a Malian army camp in the Gao region in the north, killing at least 29 soldiers, the army said Thursday.

The attack on the post in Tarkint also wounded at least five people, said an army spokesman, Lt. Col. Diarran Kone.

This is the biggest attack on Mali's army in 2020. Though responsibility for the attack has not yet been claimed, it bears the marks of al-Qaida-linked groups in the region.

A French-led military operation ousted jihadists from power in northern Mali in 2013, though they dispersed and regrouped. They have also been pushing farther south.

Last year saw a surge of deadly assaults on Mali’s military posts. The extremists add to their weapons stockpile with each raid.