Mali: a series of simultaneous attacks target army positions

A Malian soldier between Mopti and Djenne in February 2020 (Illustration image) © MICHELE CATTANI/AFP

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Jihadist attacks targeted, this Wednesday, July 27, 2022, several positions of the Malian army in various places in the country, in particular in the center and in the west, in a border region with Mauritania.

In an official statement, the Malian army claims to have lost 15 men and killed nearly 50 assailants.

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In the early hours of this Wednesday, a first group of jihadists is carrying out simultaneous operations in the city of Mopti, in the center of the country.

Two security posts and air force installations are targeted.

Almost at the same time, a little further south, in the Malian town of Sokolo, another army position was the target of a jihadist attack.

Positions of regular troops are also attacked in the west in a border region with Mauritania.

► To read also: Attacks in the Sahel: "This is the confirmation of the expansion of jihadist areas of influence"

The statement from the Malian army describes these operations as "

 gesticulations of an adversary losing momentum

 ".

But for observers, given the method used and the scale, it is one of the best coordinated jihadist operations on the ground in the last ten years against the positions of the FDS, the Defense and Security Forces of Mali.

The Malian army recognizes that its air force had to be mobilized to deal with the situation.

Official assessment announced on the Malian side: 48 assailants killed, 15 regular army soldiers lost their lives, as well as three civilians.

These four attacks have not yet been claimed.

Communiqué N°052 of the General Staff of the Armies of July 27, 2022. pic.twitter.com/46Nh4wkKTK

— Malian Armed Forces (@FAMa_DIRPA) July 27, 2022

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