The assault on the Mourdiah post, located in the Nara region, involved militants from Katibat Macina, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM). The attackers used rocket-propelled grenades and artillery fire.
Malian forces reacted swiftly, “neutralizing” (killing) a significant number of attackers and injuring many others, the FAMa statement said. They recovered a large amount of weapons and equipment, including machine guns, rocket launchers, motorcycles, and communication devices.
However, the victory came at a cost. The military reported five soldiers killed and dozens wounded, along with damage to several vehicles.
Mali has been plagued by jihadist violence for over a decade. This instability contributed to the 2020 coup that ousted former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The current military junta has pursued a controversial strategy to combat the insurgency, including closer ties with Russia and a shift away from Western partners like France.
This strategy includes engaging Russian trainers from the Wagner Group, seeking the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission, and abandoning a previous peace agreement in favor of Malian-led dialogue.
AC/lb/abj/APA