Suicide attack on Mali army base day after deadly strikes
A group close to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks on the military posts
BAMAKO, Mali – A suicide attack was carried out Friday at a military base in the landlocked West African nation of Mali. The attack occurred just one day after deadly attacks by terrorists on an army camp and a passenger ship that killed 64 people.
According to the army, two car bombs were detonated, and shots were fired in the attack on the base in Gao, and the airport area of the base was closed.
An airport employee told AFP that Friday’s attack entailed two car bombs accompanied by gunfire, and that the airport section of the base had been closed.
A group close to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks on the military posts. Large parts of the Gao region have also come under the control of terrorists linked to ISIS.
The vessel was plying a route between cities along the Niger, a crucial transport route in a region where road infrastructure is poor and railways are absent.
Amid an increasingly unstable security situation in recent weeks, soldiers had been on board to provide protection, a military official said speaking on condition of anonymity.
It was targeted by “at least three rockets” which aimed at its engines, the operator Comanav said.
Images on social media showed a cloud of black smoke rising above the river. The incident took place in a remote area and the images could not be verified independently.
“We have no news,” said a teacher speaking on condition of anonymity about a relative’s daughter who was on board with her six children.
“Their names aren’t on the casualty list.”
Three days of national mourning have been announced from Friday.
A three-day national mourning was announced for Friday. Mali has struggled with insecurity since 2012, when a Tuareg insurgency broke out in the north of the country.
The insurgency was fueled by terrorists who three years later launched their own campaign in central Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, shaking the entire Sahel.
The rebellion in the north of the country was formally ended in 2015 by a peace agreement between the region’s rebels and the Malian government.
However, the fragile agreement came under threat when the civilian government was overthrown in 2020 and replaced by a junta.
The withdrawal of U.N. peacekeepers from Mali is cited as a factor in the rise in violence.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
