Malian authorities have evidence that some of the terrorists carrying out attacks on the country were trained in Ukraine, Vice President of the Defense Commission of the country's Transitional Council Fousseynou Ouattara told TASS.
According to him, Malian authorities have identified individuals who were trained in Ukraine to operate kamikaze drones. "These young people are known, we have now added them to our lists and we have their names," Ouattara said.
He emphasized that all the drones used by the terrorists are of Ukrainian origin. Furthermore, the militants receive manpower support from Algeria and Libya, and are also being trained by specialists from the French Foreign Legion and Ukrainian instructors. The captured Tuaregs speak dialects different from Malian Tamasheq, which confirms that they come from Mauritania, Algeria, or Libya, he added.
It was previously reported that Malian armed forces, in coordination with their international partners, carried out active operations in the northern part of the country near the town of Anefis, killing more than 200 militants.
On July 4, Mali’s Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs announced that militant groups attacked military positions in Aguelok, Anefis, Gao, Kenioroba, Konna, Sevare, and Somadougou. In response, the Malian army, supported by its international allies, successfully repelled these assaults. While fighting has largely subsided elsewhere, clashes continue in the vicinity of Anefis, home to a significant military base.
The coordinated attacks were carried out by units of the Azawad Liberation Front and Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen, a group linked to al-Qaeda
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The Malian forces have neutralized about 100 terrorists during operations carried out on Wednesday in the areas of Anefis and Tabrichat in northern Mali, authorities said on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteIn a statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said the Malian Armed Forces, in coordination with their partners, continued operations against armed terrorist groups it described as affiliated with the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims and the Azawad Liberation Front.
According to the statement, the operations involved 13 airstrikes, destroying six combat vehicles and one pickup truck.
The general staff reaffirmed the army's determination to continue operations against armed terrorist groups across the national territory.
DeleteThe operations came after attacks on July 4 targeting several localities in Mali, including Aguelhok, Anefis, Gao, Sevare, and Kenioroba. The Malian army said at the time that it had repelled the attacks.
Mali has faced a volatile security situation for years, with attacks by armed groups occurring frequently, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country.
In April, the country's Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an attack on his residence in the town of Kati, near Bamako, carried out by armed terrorist groups.
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