On Tuesday, the Islamic State released several photos and a short video from this month’s deadly assault in northern Mali. Additionally, it claimed another major raid in the country yesterday.
Tuesday’s photo set details the In-Delimane attack, which occurred earlier this month. At least 54 Malian soldiers were killed, while the base was briefly occupied by the jihadist forces. The photos detail the battle itself, as well as the aftermath.
The jihadists can be seen taking various equipment and vehicles from the base, while others graphically detail the bodies strewn across the perimeter.
The short video, which was released by the Islamic State’s Amaq News, mainly details the capture of weapons and equipment but also features several fighters denouncing the Malian government (referred to as ‘murtadeen,’ or apostates) and its tribal allies (referred to as ‘sahwat,’ which harks back to the Sunni Awakening during the Iraq War).
Yesterday, the jihadist group also took credit for another major operation in northern Mali earlier this week. On Monday, at least 24 Malian soldiers were killed following an operation near Tabankort in the Gao Region. Malian officials have also stated at least 17 jihadists were also killed.
It is clear with these assaults that while JNIM is the dominant jihadist actor in the region, the Islamic State’s men have been able to expand into conducting high-profile attacks in the Sahel thereby worsening an already perilous security situation.
Selected photos released by the Islamic State from the In-Delimane assault:
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