Fighting broke out again between the Mali army and the elements of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb region since they first engaged each other last month, the military told Xinhua on Sunday.

The clash erupted between Friday night and Saturday in Mali's northern Tombouctou region. "There were no victims on the side of the army," the military said in reference to the exchange of fire with the terrorist group known as AQMI.

The army launched an attack on the AQMI group on June 17, killing 26 of its combatants, after the government vowed to take military actions against the Al-Qaeda branch in the region.

Bamako moved against the AQMI elements following the assassination of a security officer on June 10, who was killed at his residence in the same Tombouctou region by armed men suspected of links to the organization.

The elements are roaming in several countries in the sub-region in small groups, according to Capt. Ali Diakite, a spokesman for the military in the northern region of Gao.

He said in the past two weeks the troops were in ground operations against all terrorist cells including AQMI. "We have also arrested several suspects of the killing of a Mali army officer by AQMI," he added.

While some analysts fear Mali is not well equipped to confront Al Qaeda, France, Algeria, Canada and the United States have expressed support for Mali in an overall fight against the terrorist group in the region.

Source: Xinhua