A group with ties to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for an early-morning attack in Bamako, the capital of Mali.
According to the police, armed men attacked a military training school and other parts of the city, accusing “a group of terrorists” of being behind the attack.
The jihadist organisation Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) took ownership of the damage, claiming significant material and human casualties.
This was Bamako’s first attack of its type in years. The city has mostly escaped the Islamist conflict that has plagued Mali for more than ten years before to Tuesday.
“Al-Qaeda affiliate claims responsibility for the attack in Mali”
Since JNIM has carried out many attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, it is regarded as one of the most active militant organisations in the larger Sahel area.
According to the statement, a “special operation” on Tuesday targeted the military airport in Bamako as well as the training complex, resulting in military deaths.
The US newspaper was informed by Mali’s security forces that “several” policemen had either been killed or injured. The New York Times also reported on the casualties. The reports said that the soldiers had been transported to the hospital in twelve ambulances.
The military training school was one among many “sensitive points” that were “targeted by terrorist attacks” around daybreak, according to the administration, which did not disclose any such casualties.
A military statement declared that the situation “was under control” at around 8:00 local time (08:00 GMT), while a statement from the security ministry stated that people may get on with their daily activities.
“Heavy exchanges of fire” were subsequently reported by the AFP news agency to have occurred in the early afternoon close to a police station that controls entrance to the civilian airport terminal.
Simultaneously, JNIM said that it had gained total authority over the adjacent military airport. The BBC was unable to confirm this assertion.
Earlier, footage purportedly showing about 20 captives was aired on Mali’s official television channel. The men’s hands were bound and they were all wearing blindfolds.
“We have defeated the terrorists. Army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra stated during the ORTM newscast that “the sweep is continuing.”
Three lifeless bodies were also seen on camera resting on the ground in the news story.
It has been claimed that international bodies including the UN have instructed its employees to limit their travel.
Videos that had previously been shared on social media showed smoke plumes rising black from a section of the city.People headed to the mosque for morning prayers were forced to turn around when gunfire erupted, according to news agency Reuters.
After the incident, Modibo Keita International Airport in Bamako was closed.
In 2021, the military overthrew the government in a coup, claiming it had not done enough to put an end to the insurgency.The junta removed UN peacekeepers and French forces, and invited Russia’s Wagner group to assist in countering the jihadists, but the conflict shows no signs of abating.
Source:BBC
