Jihadist fighters have conducted a series of attacks on Malian military barracks, claiming control over several posts. The army has countered with claims of neutralizing over 80 militants amidst the rising insecurity in the region.
Jihadist Attacks Target Mali Military: 80 Militants Neutralized in Recent Assaults
Jihadist Attacks Target Mali Military: 80 Militants Neutralized in Recent Assaults
Simultaneous strikes on military posts across Mali highlight the ongoing Islamist insurgency, as security forces report significant militant losses.
Jihadist fighters have launched a wave of simultaneous assaults on military installations throughout several towns in Mali, marking the third major offensive against the country's army in just one month. On Tuesday morning, Mali's armed forces reported successfully repelling these attacks and claimed to have "neutralized" over 80 fighters, although they did not disclose whether there were any military casualties.
The al-Qaeda-associated group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) has taken responsibility for the coordinated attacks and asserts that it has taken control of three military barracks during the operation. For more than a decade, Mali has been plagued by a relentless Islamist insurgency accompanied by violent separatist movements.
In a statement aired on national television, army spokesperson Souleymane Dembele claimed that the enemy has suffered significant losses in all locations where engagements occurred between militants and the security forces. He also mentioned the army's recovery of weapons, vehicles, and motorcycles from the assailants.
According to the armed forces, the attacks spanned seven towns and cities, including Binoli, Kayes, and Sandere—regions near the Senegalese border. Reports from Kayes depict a scene of shock among residents, as one local described waking to gunfire and smoke near the governor's residence.
JNIM characterized the attacks as "coordinated and high quality," although they did not provide details regarding their own casualties. The group has previously executed other prominent assaults, including a raid in early June that targeted an army camp and an airport in the historic city of Timbuktu, and an attack that resulted in the deaths of at least 30 soldiers just a day prior.
These recent attacks underscore the escalating insecurity not just in Mali but across the broader Sahel region. Heightened concerns have emerged following warnings from the United States Africa Command (Africom) about the increasing ambitions of various Islamist militant groups in the Sahel to expand into West Africa's coastal areas. During a press briefing in May, Africom commander Gen Michael Langley expressed alarm regarding recent violent incidents in Nigeria, the Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin, underscoring the potential for enhanced smuggling and arms trafficking operations if militants gain access to those coastal regions.
