Latest news with #Jama'aNusratul-Islamwaal-Muslimin
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mali says two more army posts attacked as jihadist violence escalates
BAMAKO (Reuters) -Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. Ground and air reinforcements were being mobilised on Thursday morning to respond to an attack on a security post in Mahou, located in eastern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, an army statement said. The attack was claimed by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Information on a death toll was not immediately available. A military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday afternoon, "armed terrorists" struck a military camp in Tessit, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, and Mali's military sent in aerial reinforcement, a separate statement said. There has been no claim of responsibility for that attack, though security analysts said it could have been perpetrated by fighters from the Islamic State branch active in the Sahel region. "The camp was attacked, and there was a violent exchange of fire. We learned that the attackers had taken control of the camp, and the population was leaving Tessit," said an official from the nearby town of Ouattagouna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. WIDESPREAD ATTACKS Mali's junta seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021, promising to restore security in a country that has grappled with jihadist militancy for more than a decade. But attacks continue in large swathes of the country. An army statement on Thursday described "a resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks" in recent weeks and said it was responding with a "counter-offensive", listing operations in six locations on Wednesday alone. An attack on Sunday on a military base in Boulkessi, in central Mali near the frontier with Burkina Faso, killed dozens of soldiers, security sources told Reuters this week. JNIM said in a statement the death toll was more than 100 soldiers and mercenaries, with more than 20 others captured. On Monday, JNIM said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. Like neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has cut military ties with Western nations and turned to Russia for support. JNIM also claimed to have bombed Malian and Russian soldiers on the outskirts of Bamako on Wednesday, though Reuters could not independently confirm that incident and the army has not commented on it. Consulting firm Control Risks said in a note on Thursday the claim was "reliable" and that further attacks on and near Bamako were likely as JNIM seeks to undermine Mali's military rulers.
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Mali says two more army posts attacked as jihadist violence escalates
BAMAKO - Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. Ground and air reinforcements were being mobilised on Thursday morning to respond to an attack on a security post in Mahou, located in eastern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, an army statement said. The attack was claimed by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Information on a death toll was not immediately available. A military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday afternoon, "armed terrorists" struck a military camp in Tessit, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, and Mali's military sent in aerial reinforcement, a separate statement said. There has been no claim of responsibility for that attack, though security analysts said it could have been perpetrated by fighters from the Islamic State branch active in the Sahel region. "The camp was attacked, and there was a violent exchange of fire. We learned that the attackers had taken control of the camp, and the population was leaving Tessit," said an official from the nearby town of Ouattagouna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. WIDESPREAD ATTACKS Mali's junta seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021, promising to restore security in a country that has grappled with jihadist militancy for more than a decade. But attacks continue in large swathes of the country. An army statement on Thursday described "a resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks" in recent weeks and said it was responding with a "counter-offensive", listing operations in six locations on Wednesday alone. An attack on Sunday on a military base in Boulkessi, in central Mali near the frontier with Burkina Faso, killed dozens of soldiers, security sources told Reuters this week. JNIM said in a statement the death toll was more than 100 soldiers and mercenaries, with more than 20 others captured. On Monday, JNIM said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. Like neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has cut military ties with Western nations and turned to Russia for support. JNIM also claimed to have bombed Malian and Russian soldiers on the outskirts of Bamako on Wednesday, though Reuters could not independently confirm that incident and the army has not commented on it. Consulting firm Control Risks said in a note on Thursday the claim was "reliable" and that further attacks on and near Bamako were likely as JNIM seeks to undermine Mali's military rulers. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Mali says two more army posts attacked as jihadist violence escalates
BAMAKO (Reuters) -Islamist militants hit two more military installations on Wednesday and Thursday, Mali's army said, the latest in a quick spate of attacks that the insurgents say have killed hundreds of soldiers and underscored their gains. Ground and air reinforcements were being mobilised on Thursday morning to respond to an attack on a security post in Mahou, located in eastern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, an army statement said. The attack was claimed by Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Information on a death toll was not immediately available. A military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. On Wednesday afternoon, "armed terrorists" struck a military camp in Tessit, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, and Mali's military sent in aerial reinforcement, a separate statement said. There has been no claim of responsibility for that attack, though security analysts said it could have been perpetrated by fighters from the Islamic State branch active in the Sahel region. "The camp was attacked, and there was a violent exchange of fire. We learned that the attackers had taken control of the camp, and the population was leaving Tessit," said an official from the nearby town of Ouattagouna, who spoke on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. WIDESPREAD ATTACKS Mali's junta seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021, promising to restore security in a country that has grappled with jihadist militancy for more than a decade. But attacks continue in large swathes of the country. An army statement on Thursday described "a resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks" in recent weeks and said it was responding with a "counter-offensive", listing operations in six locations on Wednesday alone. An attack on Sunday on a military base in Boulkessi, in central Mali near the frontier with Burkina Faso, killed dozens of soldiers, security sources told Reuters this week. JNIM said in a statement the death toll was more than 100 soldiers and mercenaries, with more than 20 others captured. On Monday, JNIM said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. Like neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso, Mali has cut military ties with Western nations and turned to Russia for support. JNIM also claimed to have bombed Malian and Russian soldiers on the outskirts of Bamako on Wednesday, though Reuters could not independently confirm that incident and the army has not commented on it. Consulting firm Control Risks said in a note on Thursday the claim was "reliable" and that further attacks on and near Bamako were likely as JNIM seeks to undermine Mali's military rulers. (Reporting by Mali newsroom; writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Mark Heinrich)
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
JNIM insurgents kill dozens in Mali base and attack Timbuktu, say sources
An Al Qaeda-linked jihadist group active in West Africa's Sahel region has claimed an attack on a military base in Mali on Sunday that two sources said had killed more than 30 soldiers. In a separate attack on Monday, the group, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), said it targeted a military airport and Russian mercenaries in the northern city of Timbuktu, where residents described taking cover from explosions and gunfire. More than 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by insurgents since the start of May in bases and towns in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, an unstable region prone to coups. Sunday's attack in central Mali hit a military base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso. The Malian army said in a statement it had been forced to pull back after dogged defence, but gave no casualty numbers. Two security sources said more than 30 soldiers had been killed.
Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Al-Qaeda linked group says it carried out huge attack on Mali's army
BamakocTypeface:> An al-Qaeda linked group said it carried out a major attack on the Malian town of Boulikessi, and seized control of an army base. More than 30 soldiers were killed in Sunday's attack, according to sources quoted by the Reuters news agency, however that figure has not been confirmed by the authorities. On Monday the same group, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), said it targeted the military in the historic city of Timbuktu, with residents reporting hearing gunfire and explosions. In a statement responding to Sunday's attack, Mali's army said it 'reacted vigorously', before 'withdrawing' - suggesting a tactical retreat. The attacks, the latest sign of collapsing security in Mali and the wider Sahel region, came after the United States Africa Command warned about growing efforts by various different Islamist militant groups which operate in the Sahel to gain access to West Africa's coastline. (Agencies)
