The Malian Army has reported the death of more than 60 alleged terrorists in a new series of bombings carried out in the last few hours northeast of Bamako, as part of the military response to the large-scale offensive launched on April 25 by the Al Qaeda branch in the Sahel and the Tuareg separatists of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA).
In a statement disseminated on social media, the Malian Armed Forces detail that one of the main objectives of the attacks was the Faya forest, where they carried out "surgical bombings" against "three regrouping points of armed terrorist groups," without specifying which organization the targeted combatants belonged to.
According to the note, "the first of the bombings, launched east of Kassela, made it possible to neutralize about twenty terrorists and destroy numerous equipment and logistical means," while the second attack, also carried out in this area, left "about thirty terrorists neutralized and numerous motorcycles destroyed."
Likewise, the Army added that "the third of the attacks, launched west of the town of Zantiguila, made it possible to neutralize about fifteen terrorists and destroy multiple motorcycles and logistical material," before emphasizing that "a refuge" used by suspects in the vicinity of the town of Sofara, in the central part of the country, was also destroyed.
On the other hand, the Africa Corps -- formerly the Wagner Group, now integrated into the Russian Ministry of Defense -- confirmed a joint drone attack in the town of Nazarak on a truck, without providing data on possible victims. "The situation in Mali has not changed and remains under the control of the Malian Government and allied forces," it concluded.
On the ground, the scenario continues to be dominated by uncertainty and sporadic clashes, after the Al Qaeda branch in the region called at the beginning of May for a "united front" to overthrow the military junta that has governed the country since 2020, with the aim of opening "a peaceful and inclusive transition," despite the fact that days earlier the transitional president, Assimi Goita, had assured that everything was "under control."
Mali is currently under the authority of a military junta established after the coups d'état of August 2020 and May 2021, both led by Goita. Since then, Bamako has strengthened ties with Russia and has distanced itself from its traditional Western partners, including France, the former colonial power.