Al Qaeda-linked group claims to kill 21 soldiers in Mali

Jihadist group, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said it killed 21 soldiers and captured two others in a wide-scale attack in Mali on Tuesday, a U.S intelligence NGO reports.

JNIM said they had taken control of military barracks and militia positions in Farabougou, Southwestern Mali, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks communications by Islamist militants.

The Al Qaeda-affiliated group seized 15 military vehicles and more than 50 weapons during the onslaught.

Mali’s army confirmed its outposts in Farabougou and Biriki-Wèrè came under ”simultaneous attacks” early Tuesday but declined to release a casualty toll.

Mali has seen a surge in jihadist insurgency since May, with major attacks claimed by JNIM and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) targeting various locations across the Sahel.

In July, the Malian army killed 80 JNIM militants after the group launched a coordinated attack on army posts in seven towns in Western Mali.

The head of the US Africa Command, General Michael Langley, said that Islamist groups are looking to extend their reach to West Africa’s coastline, allowing them to significantly boost their revenue through human trafficking, smuggling, and arms trading.  

This resurgence of terrorist violence underscores JNIM and ISGS' "adaptive capabilities and questions the efficacy of counter-terrorism strategies” implemented by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the African Institute for Security Studies stated.