Mali army says 80 fighters killed after earlier al-Qaeda linked attacks

An al-Qaeda affiliate earlier claimed work for ‘coordinated and high-quality attacks’ successful the country.

Mali’s equipped forces person killed 80 fighters successful effect to a bid of simultaneous and coordinated attacks connected subject posts crossed the country, according to a video connection released by the military.

“The force suffered important losses successful each determination wherever they engaged with the information and defence forces,” Souleymane Dembele, the army’s spokesperson, said successful a peculiar bulletin broadcast connected the equipped forces’ tv channel, arsenic visuals of fallen rebels, their weapons, motorbikes, and vehicles were displayed.

Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) earlier claimed work for “coordinated and high-quality attacks”, saying it had taken power of 3 barracks and dozens of subject positions.

Mali’s equipped forces said the attacks took spot successful 7 towns successful the cardinal and occidental regions of the West African country.

The incidents bore the hallmarks of different caller operations by the group, which has conducted akin assaults connected subject positions successful Mali and Burkina Faso.

Mali, governed by a subject authorities since 2020, has for much than a decennary fought convulsive groups linked to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda, portion contending with a longer past of Tuareg-led rebellions successful the north.

The attacks connected Tuesday targeted Diboli successful occidental Mali adjacent the borderline with Senegal, and the adjacent towns of Kayes and Sandere. There were besides attacks successful Nioro du Sahel and Gogoui, northwest of the superior Bamako adjacent the borderline with Mauritania, and successful Molodo and Niono successful cardinal Mali, “all struck by shellfire”, the army’s connection said.

Residents and a section person confirmed the attacks successful astatine slightest 4 towns.

“We woke up successful daze this morning. There’s gunfire, and from my location I tin spot fume billowing towards the governor’s residence,” 1 nonmigratory successful the metropolis of Kayes said.

The idiosyncratic described the gunfire arsenic “intense” portion different reported sheltering astatine location portion the battle raged on.

Elsewhere, a section governmental authoritative wrote connected Facebook that “the portion of Nioro woke up successful shock” and that the towns of Nioro, Sandare and Gogui had been targeted.