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BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Extremists kill dozens of soldiers at a Mali military base, sources say
Extremists have killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in Mali, civil society and military sources said on Tuesday, in the latest militant violence in West Africa's restive Sahel region. The attack on Sunday on the base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, killed at least 60 soldiers and wounded 40 more, a civil society activist in the area told The Associated Press. Advertisement They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to reporters. The al Qaeda-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility. A military source told the AP there were around 280 soldiers in the base, and 'all of those who didn't die were taken prisoner by the terrorists'. Mali's army acknowledged the attack in a statement on Monday, adding that soldiers had fought 'to their last breath'. It did not provide an exact death toll. Advertisement Mali, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, they have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. In a separate attack on Monday, JNIM claimed responsibility for co-ordinated attacks on a military airport, a military base and army checkpoints in the northern town of Timbuktu. Mali's army said on social media it repelled the attack and that 13 extremists had been killed. It did not say whether any soldiers were killed. Advertisement A hospital employee in the town said one soldier died of his wounds and 10 other people were wounded. Timbuktu residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw armed men enter the town on motorcycles. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Centre for the New South, said the high level of co-ordination in the two attacks shows that JNIM had been planning them for a while. Attacks by extremists have been on the rise in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso in recent weeks. JNIM has established a strong presence in both. Advertisement
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Extremists kill dozens of soldiers at a Mali military base, sources say
BAMAKO, Mali — Extremists have killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in Mali, civil society and military sources said Tuesday, in the latest militant violence in West Africa's restive Sahel region. The attack on Sunday on the base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, killed at least 60 soldiers and wounded 40 more, a civil society activist in the area told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The al-Qaida-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility. A military source told the AP there were around 280 soldiers in the base, and 'all of those who didn't die were taken prisoner by the terrorists.' The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Mali's army acknowledged the attack in a statement Monday, adding that soldiers had fought 'to their last breath.' It did not provide an exact death toll. Mali, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, they have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. In a separate attack on Monday, JNIM claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on a military airport, a military base and army checkpoints in the northern town of Timbuktu. Mali's army said Monday on social media it repelled the attack and that 13 extremists had been killed. It did not say whether any soldiers were killed. A hospital employee in the town said one soldier died of his wounds and 10 other people were wounded. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Timbuktu residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw armed men enter the town on motorcycles. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the high level of coordination in the two attacks shows that JNIM had been planning them for a while. Attacks by extremists have been on the rise in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso in recent weeks. JNIM has established a strong presence in both. Baba Ahmed, The Associated Press
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Extremists kill dozens of soldiers at a Mali military base, sources say
Extremists have killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in Mali, civil society and military sources said Tuesday, in the latest militant violence in West Africa 's restive Sahel region. The attack on Sunday on the base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, killed at least 60 soldiers and wounded 40 more, a civil society activist in the area told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The al-Qaida-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility. A military source told the AP there were around 280 soldiers in the base, and 'all of those who didn't die were taken prisoner by the terrorists.' The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Mali's army acknowledged the attack in a statement Monday, adding that soldiers had fought 'to their last breath.' It did not provide an exact death toll. Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, they have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. In a separate attack on Monday, JNIM claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on a military airport, a military base and army checkpoints in the northern town of Timbuktu. Mali's army said Monday on social media it repelled the attack and that 13 extremists had been killed. It did not say whether any soldiers were killed. A hospital employee in the town said one soldier died of his wounds and 10 other people were wounded. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Timbuktu residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw armed men enter the town on motorcycles. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the high level of coordination in the two attacks shows that JNIM had been planning them for a while. Attacks by extremists have been on the rise in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso in recent weeks. JNIM has established a strong presence in both.
Associated Press
a day ago
- General
- Associated Press
Extremists kill dozens of soldiers at a Mali military base, sources say
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Extremists have killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in Mali, civil society and military sources said Tuesday, in the latest militant violence in West Africa's restive Sahel region. The attack on Sunday on the base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, killed at least 60 soldiers and wounded 40 more, a civil society activist in the area told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. The al-Qaida-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility. A military source told the AP there were around 280 soldiers in the base, and 'all of those who didn't die were taken prisoner by the terrorists.' The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Mali's army acknowledged the attack in a statement Monday, adding that soldiers had fought 'to their last breath.' It did not provide an exact death toll. Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, they have expelled French forces and turned to Russia's mercenary units for security assistance. In a separate attack on Monday, JNIM claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on a military airport, a military base and army checkpoints in the northern town of Timbuktu. Mali's army said Monday on social media it repelled the attack and that 13 extremists had been killed. It did not say whether any soldiers were killed. A hospital employee in the town said one soldier died of his wounds and 10 other people were wounded. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. Timbuktu residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw armed men enter the town on motorcycles. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals. Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the high level of coordination in the two attacks shows that JNIM had been planning them for a while. Attacks by extremists have been on the rise in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso in recent weeks. JNIM has established a strong presence in both.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Al-Qaida affiliate attacks Mali army bases as junta struggles to contain jihadist threat
An al-Qaida linked group has launched an assault on a Malian army base in Timbuktu, according to military sources and local officials, a day after it claimed responsibility for another attack near the border with Burkina Faso. 'The terrorists arrived today in Timbuktu with a vehicle packed with explosives,' a local official told Agence France-Presse. 'The vehicle exploded near the [military] camp. Shooting is currently continuing.' Residents of the ancient city also told journalists that they had heard gunfire. The news came as the group Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on an army base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso. The Malian authorities are yet to give casualty figures from Sunday's attack, but sources have told Reuters that as many as 30 soldiers were killed. Since 2012, a swarm of jihadist groups including most notably the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and JNIM have been fighting Malian security forces. When Mali's junta seized power in 2020, it cited the deteriorating security situation as a major reason for its coup and promised to act decisively to stabilise the country. Experts and civil society figures say there has barely been any improvement in the situation, while indiscriminate killings by Malian security forces have increased in tandem with the arrival in the country of Russian mercenaries operating at first under the banner of the Wagner group and then Africa Corps. Armed groups have also continued attacks in the Liptako-Gourma region where Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger converge. In February, Human Rights Watch reported 34 people were killed when an armed group ambushed a civilian convoy travelling from Gao to Ansongo in the north-east o Mali, despite the vehicles being escorted by five military pickup trucks. Similar attacks have taken place across the Sahel, which now accounts for more than half of all deaths worldwide from terrorism. Recent attacks have targeted military formations including the 2019 killing of dozens of soldiers at a Boulkessi base and raids on army camps in north-east Nigeria in March. Last July, Malian authorities made the rare admission that 'significant' losses had been suffered after clashes pitting the army and Russian-backed mercenaries against jihadists near the desert town of Tinzaouaten. Since the start of May, more than 400 soldiers have reportedly been killed by insurgents in military bases and towns in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In January, the trio announced their exit from the regional Ecowas bloc – which turned 50 this May – to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), partly to enhance military cooperation.
