Suspected militants have killed four military personnel and injured a dozen more after they were ambushed in the Northern Mali. This is according to a statement from the army on Thursday.

The attack occurred late in the afternoon on Wednesday near the town of Nara, around 30 km south of border with Mauritania.

"A unit in the Nara area was the target of a complex attack combining IEDs and heavy weapons," the statement said, adding that the death toll was provisional.

As at now, no group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.

West African nations among them Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have been engaged in fierce battle with an Islamist insurgency that has flourished across Africa's Sahel region. The insurgency has left a trail of destruction and deaths in its wake.

(With input from agencies)