Latest news with #Al-Qaeda-linked
First Post
19 minutes ago
- Politics
- First Post
Mali: Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM Group Targets Multiple Military Sites Firstpost Africa
Mali: Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM Group Targets Multiple Military Sites | Firstpost Africa | N18G Mali: Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM Group Targets Multiple Military Sites | Firstpost Africa | N18G A wave of coordinated attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants has swept across Mali, targeting military bases in at least seven towns. The offensive marks the third major assault on the army within a month. The jihadist group JNIM claimed responsibility, stating it had taken control of barracks and checkpoints. Mali's military says over 80 militants were killed. The country, ruled by a military junta since 2020, has struggled to contain extremist violence after expelling Western forces and partnering with Russia. The attacks come amid growing concerns that terror groups are expanding their reach across the Sahel and toward West Africa's coastline. See More
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
'Deplorable act of violence': MEA urges swift action as 3 Indians abducted in Al-Qaeda linked terror strike
India has expressed concern over the kidnapping of three Indian workers from a factory in Mali in an Al-Qaeda-linked terror strike, calling it a deplorable act of violence, and has urged the Malian government to secure their safe and swift release. read more India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday voiced concern over the kidnapping of three Indian workers from a factory in Mali's Kayes region and urged Malian authorities to ensure their quick and safe rescue. Condemning the incident, the government said the Indian embassy in Bamako is in constant contact with local authorities, security agencies, and the families of the abducted workers. In its statement, the MEA described the act as 'deplorable' and reaffirmed India's strong stand against violence targeting its citizens abroad. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The Embassy of India in Bamako is in close and constant communication with the relevant authorities of the Government of Mali, local law enforcement agencies, as well as the management of Diamond Cement Factory,' the statement said. 'The Government of India unequivocally condemns this deplorable act of violence and calls upon the Government of Mali to take all necessary measures for the safe and swift release of the abducted Indian nationals. Senior officials are monitoring the situation closely and remain engaged to facilitate their early release,' it added. The three Indians were kidnapped on July 1 during an armed attack at the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes. The attack was part of a series of assaults on Tuesday targeting Diboli near Mali's border with Senegal, as well as the nearby towns of Kayes and Sandere. Other attacks were reported in Nioro du Sahel and Gogoui, northwest of Bamako near Mauritania's border, and in Molodo and Niono in central Mali, according to Mali's armed forces cited by Reuters. The al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on several Malian army positions in the country's west and central regions, AP reported.
Mint
2 days ago
- Mint
India urges Mali to secure release of three nationals kidnapped amid militant violence
India on Wednesday (July 2) expressed deep concern over the abduction of three of its citizens working at a cement factory in Mali, as the West African country reels from a wave of coordinated jihadist attacks that left one civilian dead and several injured. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, armed assailants stormed the Diamond Cement Factory in Kayes on July 1 and took three Indian nationals hostage. 'The Government of India unequivocally condemns this deplorable act of violence,' the ministry said in a statement, urging Malian authorities to secure the safe and expeditious release of the workers. The Indian Embassy in Bamako said it is in constant contact with Malian officials, local law enforcement, and the factory management. Families of the abducted workers have also been informed, officials added. The kidnapping occurred on the same day that jihadist fighters staged near-simultaneous assaults on military installations across seven towns in western and central Mali, including Kayes, Nioro du Sahel, and Niono. The Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Residents described a tense calm on Wednesday, with businesses slowly reopening but fear lingering. 'Yesterday we were really afraid… This morning, people are going about their business, but everyone is talking about nothing but this attack,' a shop owner in Nioro du Sahel told AFP. A civilian wounded during the attacks later died in hospital, according to health officials in Kayes. More than 10 other people, mostly civilians, remain hospitalized with serious injuries. Mali's army said more than 80 militants were 'neutralised' during the fighting, although independent confirmation of casualties was not possible. Authorities have imposed a month-long overnight curfew in Kayes and tightened transport restrictions in a bid to restore order. India's foreign ministry said the safety of Indian nationals abroad remains a top priority and urged citizens in Mali to exercise extreme caution and stay in close touch with the embassy for updates. Mali has faced a spiraling Islamist insurgency since 2012, with violence increasingly spilling across borders into Burkina Faso and Niger. Despite pledges by the military junta to improve security, extremist groups have intensified attacks on army and civilian targets this year. The Government of India said it remains engaged 'at various levels' to secure the early and safe return of the abducted workers.
France 24
4 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Malian army positions targeted in coordinated attacks, military says
Suspected jihadists attacked military installations in several towns in western Mali early Tuesday, the military and residents said, in a new series of attacks in the junta-led country amid resurging violence in the wider Sahel region. For more than a decade Mali has faced attacks from groups linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as separatist movements and criminal gangs. Jihadists have claimed two major attacks against the Malian army in just the last month. Although Tuesday's attacks bore the hallmarks of jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), no group has so far claimed responsibility. Mali's army said in a statement that seven of its positions in the west had been targeted in "coordinated attacks carried out very early this morning". No death toll was given. Residents and a local politician confirmed the attacks in at least four towns. "We woke up in shock this morning. There's gunfire, and from my house I can see smoke billowing towards the governor's residence," one resident in the city of Kayes told AFP. The person described the gunfire as "intense" while another reported sheltering at home while the assault raged on. A military source confirmed that an explosion was first heard coming from the governor's residence but said that "by the time we got organised, there was already gunfire at the camp". Elsewhere, a local political official wrote on Facebook that "the region of Nioro woke up in shock" and that the towns of Nioro, Sandare and Gogui had been targeted. All seven of the towns named by the military are in western Mali, with one, Diboli, directly on the border with Senegal. JNIM, from its position in Mali, hopes to establish itself in Senegal and Mauritania, according to a study by the Timbuktu Institute, a research centre based in Dakar. Mali's military said in the statement Tuesday that the situation involving the latest attacks was being followed "very closely" and that it would provide more details later. Intensified offences The assaults come on the heels of two major attacks claimed by jihadists within the last month. On June 2, a coordinated assault targeted an army camp in the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali's north, as well as its airport. That attack came a day after a bloody raid killed at least 30 soldiers in the centre of the country. Jihadists have also intensified their offensives in the larger Sahel region in recent weeks, carrying out raids not just in Mali, but also in Burkina Faso and Niger. The three Sahel states' military juntas pledged during the coups that brought them to power to make security a priority, but they are struggling to contain the jihadists' advance.
eNCA
19-06-2025
- eNCA
Kenyans jailed for 30 years over 2019 hotel attack
A Kenyan court on Thursday sentenced two men to 30 years in prison on terrorism charges for their role in a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in the capital in 2019. The attack on the DusitD2 hotel and office complex in central Nairobi left 21 people dead, with police rescuing some 700 civilians as events unfolded over the 20-hour siege. Five gunmen with the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group Al-Shabaab stormed the complex on the afternoon of January 15, 2019 with one detonating a suicide bomb outside and four others shot dead by police. A court last month found two Kenyan citizens, Hussein Mohamed Abdille Ali, 22, and Mohamed Abdi Ali, 61, guilty of conspiracy to commit and facilitating terrorism for their role in preparing the attack. Sentencing them at a Nairobi courthouse on Thursday, judge Diana Kavedza said: "The convicts may not have physically wielded the weapons that caused harm to the victims, but their facilitation directly enabled attackers who were heavily armed with guns, grenades, and suicide vests." "This was not a crime with isolated harm, 21 lives were lost," she added, acknowledging statements from survivors about their ongoing psychological struggles. "The emotional scars of the attack runs deep," she said. Al-Shabaab has carried out multiple attacks in Kenya in part because of its decision to send troops into Somalia in 2011 to fight the group. An assault on the high-end Westgate mall in Nairobi in 2013 left 67 dead in a siege that stretched out over four days.
