Mali

Three Top Jihadists Dominate Sahel After Al-Qaeda Leader Death

Three leaders have been left dominating the jihadist insurgency in the Sahel, following the death of a top al-Qaeda commander in the West African state of Mali last week.

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Two Soldiers, Five Volunteers Killed in Burkina Attack

Two Burkina Faso soldiers and five civilian defense volunteers have been killed during an ambush on a military patrol in the restive north of the country, security sources said Tuesday. The attack occurred on Monday as soldiers from the military detachment in Banh in Loroum province were carrying out a patrol in the area, the sources said. “Two soldiers were killed along with five civilians,” a security source told AFP. Another security source said the civilian casualties were “defense volunteers who were with the military unit during the patrol,” adding two soldiers also died. The source said four others in the patrol were wounded, without giving further details. Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist alliance GSIM claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming to have killed “nine soldiers” in an ambush and taken weapons and vehicles, in a text sent to AFP late Tuesday. The Mali-based GSIM (Group to Support Islam and Muslims) comprises several different jihadist groups in the Sahel. On May 11, jihadists killed eight Burkinabe soldiers during an attack close to the Niger border in Yagha province, security sources said at the time. Burkina Faso is part of a regional effort to battle an Islamist insurgency, along with neighboring Mali and Niger, Mauritania and Chad. However, …

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Sweden’s government proposes to send 150 troops and helicopters to Mali for Task Force Takuba

The Swedish government plans to send 150 special forces personnel and helicopters to join the new France-led Task Force Takuba in Mali

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UN Mali peacekeepers find Canadian and Italian kidnapped in Burkina Faso in 2018

A Canadian woman and her Italian partner kidnapped in Burkina Faso in 2018 were found alive in the northwest of Mali by UN Minusma peacekeepers

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Three Irish soldiers injured in IED blast east of Gao in Mali

Three Irish soldiers sustained minor injuries when an improvised explosive device exploded near their convoy east of Gao in eastern Mali

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French actions ‘neutralize 50 terrorists’ near Mopti in central Mali

The France-led Operation Barkhane targeted ISIS and al-Qaeda affiliated fighters near Mopti in central Mali, 'neutralizing' around 50 militants

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Mali: French actions near Hombori ‘neutralize several terrorist fighters’

A series of actions near Hombori in Mali conducted by the France-led Operation Barkhane 'neutralized' insurgents and destroyed important logistical assets

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AFRICOM shifts strategy from degrading to containing West Africa insurgents, OIG report says

United States Africa Command has shifted its strategy from degrading violent extremist organizations in West Africa to simply containing their spread

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Mali deploys forces to former rebel bastion Kidal, as Keita seeks ‘dialogue’ with insurgents

Malian troops began deploying to Kidal as President Keita said he sent an envoy to discuss talks with insurgents

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French operations in Mali put 30 militants ‘out of action,’ as Barkhane builds Sahel Coalition coordination

French military operations against Islamic State and al-Qaeda groups in Mali put 30 militants "out of action" as Barkhane builds Sahel Coalition mechanisms

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