Malian security forces have detained five people over their involvement in a deadly attack north of the African country.

The individuals were arrested near the site of the incident in Gourma-Rharous, said Malian army spokesman Colonel Souleymane Maiga on Wednesday.

The people are suspected of being affiliated with a militant group called al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which claimed responsibility for the fatal raid, the spokesman went on to say.

The arrests came two days after assailants launched an attack on a Mali National Guard security post, killing 11 soldiers and injuring another.

Last week, another offensive also claimed the lives of two Malian soldiers and left four others wounded in the center of the restive country.

Following the two fatal terrorist attacks, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita cut short his official visit to Egypt over "domestic security reasons.”

Also on Wednesday, Mauritania’s decision to release Senda Ould Boumama, one of the ringleaders of militants in northern Mali, garnered harsh criticism from rights groups.

"The liberation of Senda Ould Boumama by Mauritania is a blow for the victims of the Malian crisis," read the joint statement issued by 14 rights groups, adding that the militant commander is among "several alleged perpetrators of the most serious crimes", including "sex crimes."

Boumama surrendered himself to Mauritania in May 2013 in what rights activists say was an attempt to escape from standing trial in Mali.

Northern Mali has been beset by militancy since April 2012.