Strike on market in north Mali kills 18, civil society group says
The Collective for the Defence of the Rights of the Azawad People, which is linked to separatist Tuareg rebels, said Malian armed forces bombed a weekly market 50 km (30 miles) north of the city of Lerneb.
Mali's army said on Monday it had launched air strikes against what it called terrorist activity in the same area cited by the rights group. It said in a statement on X that the strikes has "neutralised" at least 11 terrorists.
North Mali is rife with militant activity linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The Tuaregs, an ethnic group who inhabit the Sahara region including northern Mali, are fighting for an independent homeland.
They launched an insurgency against Mali's government in 2012, but the rebellion was later hijacked by Islamist groups, setting off a violent insurgency that has since spread across West Africa's Sahel region and beyond.
In July last year, Tuareg rebels attacked a convoy of Malian soldiers and mercenaries of Russia's Wagner Group in the far north of the country, near the town of Tinzaouaten close to the border with Algeria. Dozens of Russian and Malian soldiers were killed in the attack, the rebels said.
It is not uncommon for Mali, which has been under military rule since a 2020 coup, to carry out air strikes on insurgent targets in the north of the country.
At least 21 people, including 11 children, were killed by drone strikes on Tinzaouaten in August, Tuareg rebels said. In October, a drone strike at a fair in Timbuktu region killed at least eight people, including children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Chilling meaning behind Trump's 'provocative' post comparing himself to notorious Nixon
Donald Trump has been mocked for posting a photo of himself pointing at Vladimir Putin, with 'no secret' that the US President has become 'increasingly angered' by the Russian leader Donald Trump has ignited fierce debate after sharing a striking photograph of himself pointing directly at Vladimir Putin - deliberately mirroring the legendary 1959 "Kitchen Debate" between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev. The US President uploaded the image online today mere hours after Moscow delivered one of its most devastating bombardments of Ukraine since hostilities commenced, in what detractors describe as a strategic move to demonstrate his resolve against Russia's autocrat. Trump's imitative stance, replicating Nixon's confrontation with Khrushchev in a replica American kitchen during the Cold War era, is being promoted by supporters as an emblem of resistance. The reference comes as Trump lets slip bizarre 'secret plan' in radio interview. However, sources suggest it also represents the latest indication of his mounting exasperation at Putin's unwillingness to halt the bloodshed. This emerged just days after a lip reader disclosed the menacing 3-word vow that Trump murmured into Putin's ear during their Alaska summit, reports the Mirror US. One well-positioned source revealed to the Mirror: "There is no secret that Trump has become increasingly angered by Putin's lack of action. He says one thing, but then immediately carries out further attacks on Ukraine, showing he has no interest in stopping the killing. "Putin is beginning to make Trump look weak, and it's wearing on the President. He's already threatened much greater sanctions against Russia if peace is not forthcoming and it's clear Trump feels time is running out." The original "Kitchen Debate" took place during the American National Exhibition in Moscow, when then–Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Khrushchev went toe-to-toe in front of cameras. What started as a dispute over washing machines and televisions rapidly escalated into a heated clash about capitalism versus communism and became one of the most iconic moments of the Cold War. Now Trump is attempting to position himself in the same light, targeting Putin as Nixon once confronted Khrushchev, drawing parallels between his confrontation with Moscow and America's ideological struggle with the Soviet Union. The timing of the publicity stunt, however, sparked controversy. Russia's overnight assault on Ukrainian cities left dozens dead and wounded, further intensifying a conflict already dragging into its third year. Against this backdrop, Trump's photo opportunity was embraced by supporters as evidence of American determination and slammed by critics as a tacky publicity stunt. "Trump thinks he's Nixon squaring up to Khrushchev," one social media user wrote online. "In reality, he's cosplaying statesmanship while bombs fall on civilians." The internet was divided. MAGA supporters praised the image as a demonstration of leadership, with one supporter posting: "This is America standing tall. Trump is showing Putin he won't be pushed around." Others were damning, labelling it " Instagram diplomacy" and "a stunt that trivialises a brutal war." Historians and foreign policy experts are split down the middle. Some believe the symbolism is astute, using a memorable Cold War moment to remind the world of America's power. However, others have cautioned that it's an oversimplification, even potentially hazardous, boiling down a multifaceted modern conflict to a rehashed photo opportunity. "It's a flashy gesture," one analyst commented. "But Ukraine isn't 1959 Moscow, and Putin isn't Khrushchev. The stakes today are far higher and a finger-pointing picture won't bring the bombs to a halt." Nonetheless, Trump's move has once again put him in the spotlight of the Ukraine debate, presenting himself as the man ready to confront Putin. This follows a peculiar internet image revealing what Trump looks like without his artificial tan and signature hairstyle.
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump visits police, military carrying out Washington crime crackdown
WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump declared his crime crackdown in the nation's capital a success on Thursday as he visited federal officers deployed under his plan, which has drawn resident complaints that its tactics are too heavyhanded. Trump visited the U.S. Park Police headquarters in Southeast Washington, D.C., bringing pizza and hamburgers for officers as a gesture of support. Without citing evidence, the president told several hundred uniformed personnel that their efforts were leading to a drop in crime. "It's like a different place," he said. "Everybody is safe now." Earlier on Thursday, Trump had said he would go on patrol with law enforcement during his visit, but the ride-along did not happen. Saying the city was gripped by a violent crime wave, Trump last week declared a public safety emergency. He deployed National Guard soldiers and federal agents on the streets, and said he was temporarily taking over the city's police department in an extraordinary assertion of presidential power. The crackdown has included ramped-up stop-and-frisk operations, federal patrols in residential neighborhoods and reports of people being stopped with little explanation. Projecting confidence in the federal response, Trump told the assembled officers that Washington was on the rebound. "We're going to have the best capital ever," he said. City officials have rejected the claim that violent crime is rampant, pointing to federal and city statistics that show violent crime has declined significantly since a spike in 2023. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, asked by reporters earlier on Thursday if the city was safer now, said the capital has seen a decrease in crime for the last two years. "We expect that having 500 additional officers will yield more arrests, and we want guns off the streets. Our police officers continue to do the work, and we expect some incremental difference with more officers," she said, referring to the extra personnel ordered by Trump. The partnership between local and federal law enforcement has been tense at times, with federal agents not only targeting violent crime but also prioritizing immigration arrests and clearing homeless encampments. Five years after Trump deployed National Guard troops to disperse racial justice protesters outside the White House, his 30-day takeover of local law enforcement has sparked some demonstrations. These have included in the past week organized protests near the White House as well as city residents and demonstrators spontaneously confronting federal agents. In one incident, a resident was charged with a felony for throwing a sandwich at an officer. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday visited troops at Union Station, Washington's central train hub, where protesters heckled them with jeers and shouts. Trump on Thursday was joined by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, his White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, architect of Trump's migrant crackdown. Trump's administration this week ordered federal prosecutors in Washington to be more aggressive in pursuing criminal cases against people arrested as part of the crackdown in the nation's capital, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Saskatchewan premier to go to China in bid to end canola tariffs
OTTAWA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Scott Moe, premier of the major grain-growing Canadian province of Saskatchewan, said on Thursday he will travel to China soon for talks to persuade Beijing to drop new tariffs on canola. China hit Canadian canola seed imports with preliminary 75.8% duties last week following an anti-dumping investigation, escalating a year-long trade dispute. China is by far Canada's biggest canola seed market. Canadian Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald also pledged support for farmers and the industry, which says it employs 200,000 people and produces C$43 billion in economic value. "We're working diligently alongside them," MacDonald said in a phone interview after the meeting ended. Canada, the world's largest exporter of canola, shipped almost C$5 billion ($3.63 billion) of canola products to China in 2024, about 80% of which was seed. The steep duties on canola seed, if they remain in place, would likely all but end those Chinese imports. China objected when Canada imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles a year ago, and launched an anti-dumping investigation into canola seed shortly thereafter. In February, it imposed a tariff on Canadian canola oil and meal, as well as a number of other agricultural products. This month's addition of canola seed to China's tariff targets came shortly after Canada imposed tariffs on steel in July, which also upset Beijing. "Myself will be in China in the next couple of weeks with potentially another opportunity for engagement before the end of the calendar year," Moe told a news conference after a meeting with industry officials and MacDonald. Moe also reiterated a call for federal aid for the industry. MacDonald said it was too early to decide what help farmers might need, but "it could be there some day" if the dispute drags on. He added that it was difficult to assess all of China's motives in the dispute. "You're dealing with a partner that you're not 100% sure all of the time what their prerogatives are. Are they just political, or is it something else?" MacDonald said. ($1 = 1.3905 Canadian dollars)
