The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), affiliated with al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for attacks on the army in Niafunké and Goundam in the Tombouctou region.
In a statement released on Saturday, November 25, the JNIM provided details on the two operations carried out on Friday, November 24, against two military camps of the Malian Armed Forces (Fama), resulting in several dozen casualties. The Malian army asserts that it eventually repelled the attackers.
The JNIM claims a “large-scale attack.” The Malian military camp in Niafunké was initially targeted by a suicide vehicle, according to the jihadists, who then claim to have “taken control of the camp.”
The JNIM reports a death toll of several dozen Malian soldiers killed and two taken as prisoners.
Five vehicles, heavy weapons, and military equipment were also reportedly looted. The JNIM has disseminated images displaying this loot.
Simultaneously, the jihadist group claims to have fired 120mm mortar shells at the military camp in Goundam, in the same Tombouctou region.
Local sources mention an approximate death toll of around fifty Malian soldiers in Niafunké. No information on the consequences of the shelling in Goundam has been provided.
In a brief statement of two sentences released on the evening of Friday, November 24, the Malian military headquarters acknowledged being subjected to “artillery fire” in Niafunké and Goundam.
After “attempting in vain to occupy these positions,” the Malian army asserts that the assailants were “repelled” and “routed.”