BAMAKO, Mali >> Two attacks by Islamist insurgents in the restive north of Mali on Thursday killed 49 civilians and 15 government soldiers, according to a provisional death toll given by the country’s military junta.

A passenger boat near the city of Timbuktu on the Niger River and a Malian military position in Bamba further downstream in the Gao region were targeted, according to a statement from the military junta read on state television. It said the attacks have been claimed by Islamist extremist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida.

The Malian government announcement said its forces, in responding to the attacks, killed some 50 assailants. Three days of national mourning to honor the civilians and troops killed begin Friday.

Timbuktu has been blockaded by armed groups since late August, when the Malian army deployed reinforcements to the region.

— The Associated Press