JNIM attacks Bamako airport in Mali
The African continent is suffering from Al-Qaeda attacks.. A new attack in which elements of the so-called “Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin” linked to Al-Qaeda attempted to attack a military airport in financial.
The attack targeted a gendarmerie training center in the Malian capital, Bamako, while the army said the situation was under control.
The army spokesman explained that “a special operation targeted the military airport and the Malian Gendarmerie training center in central Bamako on Tuesday, causing heavy human and material losses and the destruction of several military aircraft,” without details about those losses.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces said Finance General Omar Diarra told state television that “the situation is under control,” confirming that those he described as terrorists had been “neutralized,” and that search operations were continuing, referring to “somewhat sophisticated infiltration attempts” at the gendarmerie school.
While the army called on residents to remain calm, television showed images of about 20 prisoners with their hands and eyes blindfolded, while videos circulating on social media showed corpses.
Security and airport officials said the fighting continued into the afternoon with heavy exchanges of gunfire at the police station, which controls access to the airport’s passenger terminal.
Agence France-Presse indicated that there are conflicting accounts from the “Movement for the Support of Islam and Muslims” and the authorities, so the attack and human losses remain unclear during the day, with tension and strict restrictions imposed on the circulation of information under the ruling military council since 2020.
#financial #Bamako #Kidal
The Malian army, which threatens to exterminate the Tuareg, Arab and Fulani communities, is fleeing its headquarters and taking off its military uniform to hide in people’s homes, after the blow it received this morning inside Bamako, which reached Modibo Keita International Airport. pic.twitter.com/RGwGPrh8EU— Omar Alansary | Oumar Alansary (@Oumar_Alansary) September 17, 2024
The Ministry of Transport announced in a statement that “restrictions have been imposed on entry to the airport temporarily to avoid any risks,” amid witnesses confirming that the area is cordoned off, and the airport cannot be reached via the national road.
While parts of Mali remain subject to near-daily attacks, its capital has been spared violence since an anti-Western attack in March 2016 that targeted a hotel housing the former European Training Mission for the Malian army.
Confronting Al Qaeda
Two years ago, the Malian army launched a large-scale military operation whose primary goal was to regain control of all of Mali’s territory.
Although this military operation enabled the state of Mali to regain control over important areas of the country, it has not yet succeeded in eliminating terrorist groups, especially the “Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin” group, which forms the backbone of Al-Qaeda’s influence in the Sahel region.
On the other hand, the armed conflict between Al-Qaeda and ISIS is back on the scene, as the two organizations are trying to control the rich region known as the Niger Delta, a fertile area with many farms and local gold mines.
There have been recent reports of armed clashes returning to the region, between Al-Qaeda and ISIS fighters, after a period of undeclared truce.
