Mali: Al-Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for attack on military camp

The Islamic and Muslim Salvation Group, linked to al-Qaeda, released videos of dozens of Malian soldiers, claiming they were captured during fighting. The group also alleged that more than 100 other soldiers were killed in an earlier attack this month on a military camp in central Mali.

The Associated Press (AP) could not immediately verify these figures, while Colonel Major Bakary Boukar Maïga, the spokesperson for the Malian army, declined to comment. If the figures are accurate, the September 10 attack would be one of the bloodiest in the group’s history.

In a statement issued late Saturday evening, the Malian army announced that its units deployed in the Dioura region “continued to carry out targeted strikes” against the attackers “on the outskirts of the military garrison and on the outskirts of the city.” It also reported that a “large-scale air and ground operation” enabled the evacuation of “two companies that heroically defended the garrison.” The Malian army acknowledged the loss of some soldiers “while performing their duty” without providing further details.

The attack comes as the military council, which has ruled the country since the 2021 coup, prepares to celebrate Independence Day on September 22.

In a statement posted on its online propaganda channel, “Al-Zalaka,” on Friday, the Islamic and Muslim Salvation Group said that “its fighters managed to neutralize 150 members of the Malian army, including two officers of the ranks of colonel and captain, and captured 93 others.”

If confirmed, the September 10 attack would be one of the bloodiest in the group’s history. Last week, the Malian army stated in a statement that “the preliminary tally of operations indicates the neutralization of several dozen terrorists, along with the destruction of numerous motorcycles and several light trucks.”