American aid worker reportedly kidnapped in Niger
No group has to yet to claim this, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been behind several kidnappings of Westerners in Niger in the past.
Tag Archives: Mali
Suspected jihadists attack Nigerien refugee camp
The attack was reportedly perpetrated by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, but no group has yet to claim the assault.
Ansar Dine claims series of attacks in northern Mali
The Tuareg al Qaeda front claimed a coordinated assault on UN troops yesterday in northern Mali, which included two separate incidents of shelling and IED attacks.
Islamic State’s Sahara branch claims first attack in Burkina Faso
The claim, if it is confirmed, marks the first Islamic State attack in the Sahel.
Jihadists reportedly capture town in central Mali
Jihadists have reportedly gained control over the town of Boni after the military retreated. Additionally, today’s spate of attacks in Mali, mainly in the central regions of Mopti and Segou, marks one of the most active days for jihadist groups in Mali
Ansar Dine claims multiple attacks across Mali
The Tuareg jihadist group has recently claimed a spate of attacks, mainly against French forces, across Mali.
Ansar Dine shows captured Malian army soldiers
Despite not previously reporting taking hostages during last month’s attack in Nampala, Ansar Dine is now claiming to have captured five Malian soldiers during the large-scale assault.
Malian military base targeted in southern Mali
The assault is one of the largest on a Malian military base in recent years, and has left twice as many Malian soldiers dead as last year’s attack on the same base.
Al Qaeda has launched more than 100 attacks in West Africa in 2016
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and associated groups have unleashed a string of attacks in Mali and elsewhere in West Africa this year.
Ansar Dine’s branch in southern Mali releases first video
The first video promises to be the first of many of Ansar Dine’s southern branch. Ansar Dine’s Katibat Macina, which is more commonly known as the Macina Liberation Front, is integrated within al Qaeda’s larger strategy for Mali and West Africa.
Jihadists strike across northern Mali
Jihadists in Mali continue to prove their potency in the north by launching a spate of attacks in recent days. One such assault left a French special forces soldier dead and three others wounded.
AQIM claims attack on Algerian gas plant
AQIM says the attack is meant to show that it can target Algeria in “whatever area we want, and to let you know that your fortifications that you have made will not prevent the strikes of the mujahideen from reaching you.”
AQIM targets beach resort in Ivory Coast
Al Qaeda continues to prioritize targeting hotels, which are considered soft targets, across the African continent. AQIM has launched assaults on several hotels in West Africa in recent months, while Shabaab regularly targets hotels in Somalia.
Ansar Dine claims four attacks in Mali
Al Qaeda groups operating in Mali continue to be a threat to both local and regional security.
French special forces target al Qaeda commanders in Mali
The raids targeted AQIM field commander Abu al Nour al Andalusi, a Spanish national, and the Saudi spokesman for Al Murabitoon, Abu Dujana al Qasimi. Neither the French nor AQIM have commented on the raids, which are said to have occurred in recent days.
Jihadists launch assaults on UN, Malian forces in northern Mali
The UN’s mission in Mali continues to be one of the most dangerous peacekeeping operations in the world.
UN, Malian forces retake police base captured by jihadists
Attacks like this continue to show that the security situation inside Mali, especially in the north and increasingly in the south, is still volatile despite a French-led counterterrorism mission and an UN peacekeeping force inside the country.
Ansar Dine highlights attack on Tuareg separatists in Mali
The attack last month comes as tensions between Ansar Dine, a Tuareg al Qaeda group, and several Tuareg separatist groups in northern Mali have escalated.
AQIM takes Australian couple hostage in northern Burkina Faso
The Al Qaeda group continues to take Western hostages throughout the Sahara and the Sahel.
Al Qaeda’s hotel siege ends in West Africa
Despite a French-led counterterrorism mission throughout the Sahara and Sahel, Al Qaeda has been able to retain the ability to launch attacks in Mali and increasingly in neighboring countries.
Al Qaeda group strikes in northern Mali
The attacks on the Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad are likely an attempt to destabilize the movement and the region after several other Tuareg separatist movements signed a peace deal with the Malian government earlier this year.
AQIM commander threatens France in audio statement
Abu Yahya al Hammam joins other Al Qaeda figures in Mali and the Sahara to have threatened France and its interests this year, including Iyad Ag Ghaly and a fighter from Al Murabitoon.
French special forces target Al Murabitoon in northern Mali
One month after the jihadist group conducted a terrorist attack in Mali’s capital killing over 20 people, the French military launched a four hour raid against Al Murabitoon reportedly killing several of its fighters in northern Mali.
Al Qaeda group releases photo of Mali hotel gunmen
The photo shows two young jihadists before undertaking the attack that left more than 20 people dead in Mali’s capital late last month.
Jihadists kill 3 in attack on UN base in Mali
Al Qaeda and allied jihadist groups have repeatedly targeted UN forces since early 2013.
Al Qaeda group claims credit for attack on hotel in Mali’s capital
Al Murabitoon, an al Qaeda group that operates in West Africa, claimed it executed the hotel siege in Mali in conjunction with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Jihadists storm Radisson hotel in Malian capital
The attackers were heard yelling “Allahu Akbar” and separated Muslims from non-Muslims. The hostage crisis is the second to occur in Mali this year, but the first to occur in its capital. Jihadists have increasingly been able to penetrate southern Mali after a French-led counterterrorism mission in the north.
Malian al Qaeda leader threatens France in audio statement
The reclusive leader of Ansar Dine, an al Qaeda group that operates in Mali, has resurfaced again to threaten the French and dismiss the latest peace deal with the Tuaregs in Mali.
Debunking the myth that al Qaeda doesn’t seek to control territory like the Islamic State
Al Qaeda’s branches and allies have held or continue to control ground in Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Mali, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Libya, contrary to the narrative that only the Islamic State seeks to take territory.
AQIM highlights attack on UN troops in Mali
The video shows an attack on a convoy between Goundam and Timbuktu in northern Mali in July.