Over 70 people killed in militant attacks on Mali’s Capital

• The attack targeted a military police training camp and a military airport.
• An anonymous source reported that the death toll is around 100, with 81 identified victims.
• The operation, the first of its kind in years, delivered a powerful blow to the junta.

Security sources reported on Thursday that a militant attack in the Malian capital, targeting a military police training camp and a military airport, resulted in more than 70 deaths and 200 injuries. An anonymous security source told the news that the attacks in Bamako on Tuesday killed 77 people and wounded 255.

An authenticated confidential official document reported that the death toll is around 100, with 81 victims identified. According to Thursday’s edition of “Le Soir” daily, the funerals of about 50 military police students will take place on the same day. Mali’s military-led authorities have not yet released a precise death toll for the attacks, which were claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group JNIM.

Experts say the operation, the first of its kind in years, delivered a powerful blow to the junta. The Malian capital usually avoids the frequent attacks seen in other parts of West Africa. Late Tuesday, the general staff admitted that “some human lives were lost,” specifically among the personnel at the military police center.

JNIM claimed that a few dozen of its fighters killed and wounded “hundreds” from the opposing ranks, including members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner. The attack occurred a day after Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, led by the junta, marked a year since forming their breakaway alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The trio has been under military rule since a series of coups began in 2020 and announced in January that they were severing ties with the regional bloc ECOWAS.

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