Five Malian soldiers are missing following clashes with militants in central Mali over the weekend, military officials say.
The attack is the latest in a string of attacks on army and UN forces, claimed by Islamist terror group Ansar Dine.
The fighting incident happened near the village of Tenenkou in the Mopti region on Sunday afternoon and continued into Monday, army spokesman Souleymane Maiga said.
Defense ministry spokesman Diarran Kone said five soldiers had disappeared, one other was injured, and vehicles were lost in the clashes.
Reuters news agency reports Ansar Dine to have said in a statement posted online that it had ambushed the Malian army, killing and wounding soldiers and looting weapons and vehicles, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
The United Nations has deployed an 11,000-strong peacekeeping force, but the militants have reorganized and launched frequent attacks across Mali and its neighbours.
