Al-Qaeda affiliate claims Mali attack that killed 20
- Country:
- Mauritania
Nouakchott, Jan 27 (AFP) A prominent jihadist group based in the Sahel and linked to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility Monday for a weekend attack that killed 20 Malian security forces. Sunday's dawn attack on the Sokolo camp in central Mali, near the border with Mauritania, left "20 dead and five wounded" and "four dead on the enemy's side", the army said.
All of those killed were gendarmes, or paramilitary police officers, a local lawmaker told AFP. Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) -- an umbrella group of al-Qaeda affiliates -- said it had staged the raid.
JNIM was designated a terrorist organisation by the United States in September. In a statement sent to Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar on Monday, JNIM said it "managed to kill 20 soldiers and imprison three more", adding that it lost three of its own men.
Militants also captured "nine all-terrain vehicles, over 20 Kalashnikov machine guns, a large arsenal of ammunition and other weapons," according to the statement. On Sunday, Mali's army confirmed on that some of its materiel had been "damaged or taken".
Despite aid from French and UN forces, Mali is struggling to quell unrest that began in 2012 in the north of the country before spreading to centre, as well as neighbouring Sahel states Burkina Faso and Niger. (AFP) SCY
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- AlAkhbar
- Sahel
- Nouakchott
- Malian
- alQaeda
- Sokolo
- Mauritania
- United States
- French
- UN
- Burkina Faso
- Niger
- Kalashnikov
ALSO READ
Voters in many countries sceptical of democracy, poll shows
US Delegation to Embark on Trade Mission to India to Discover Promising Agribusiness Opportunities
US forces engage unmanned aerial vehicles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
Atletico Madrid emerges victorious with a 2-1 win over Dortmund in first leg of Champions League quarterfinals
Simona Halep opens up about nerves surrounding return to tennis after doping ban appeal