Mali Armed Forces Kill 80 al-Qaeda-Linked Militants in Coordinated Border Attacks

Mali’s armed forces reported the killing of 80 militants linked to al-Qaeda after a series of coordinated attacks on military posts in central and western regions of the country near the borders with Senegal and Mauritania.
The jihadist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility, boast of taking control of three military barracks.
In response to the escalating violence, local authorities in the Kayes and Dioïla regions imposed a 30-day overnight curfew to address the heightened security concerns. The attacks are part of a broader surge in violence across Mali, under military junta rule since 2020 that has struggled to contain insurgencies.
The recent wave of attacks highlights the growing instability in the Sahel, with Mali’s borders intersecting seven countries and extremists extending their influence across the region.