PRETORIA, May 5. /TASS/. The government forces of Mali and their international allies eliminated roughly 2,500 militants during their attempt to seize strategically important cities and army positions in various parts of the country on April 25, Malijet news web portal reported citing data from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Mali.

Over 12,000 militants participated in the attacks, some 2,500 of them were eliminated, the web portal reported adding that 102 militant vehicles, two explosive-laden cars, 152 motorcycles and seven mortars were either seized or destroyed.

According to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry issued a week ago, in the early hours of April 25 "illegal armed units of the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin group [which recognizes itself as part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization outlawed in Russia - TASS] and the Liberation Front of Azawad attempted to stage a military coup, acting under a shared command and coordinating their actions."

By the middle of the day, the Malian Armed Forces with the support of their international allies managed to regain control of the situation and launch counterattacks.