In an attack on a checkpoint in western Mali, a nation that is experiencing Islamist violence, three members of the Malian police force were killed on Tuesday, February 7.
According to a local official who spoke to AFP, the incident took place on Tuesday (7 February) afternoon at a checkpoint in Nara, a western town and the headquarters of the district bearing its name. Nara is situated close to the Mauritania border.
Approximately 15 assailants were “neutralized” during the attack, according to a police source, who also described the attackers as “suspected jihadists” who were resisted by security personnel.
In a separate statement, the Malian army claimed that on Monday, February 6, at night, it had engaged in a “special operation” against an “armed terrorist organization” in the Mopti region’s Korientze district (central Mali).
According to the army, that operation resulted in the “neutralization” of an additional “30 terrorists” and the recovery of weapons such as AK-47 assault rifles, anti-tank rocket launchers, and walkie-talkies. According to military officials, “four terrorists were neutralized” during a “search action” that was conducted in NGorodia, in the Korientzé sector.
The expansion of jihadism has afflicted Mali for the past ten years, producing escalating security, political, and humanitarian difficulties.
While the majority of the country’s violence has occurred in the east and center, it has already moved to Burkina Faso and Niger, two nearby countries.