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.
Tag Archives: 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.
Al Murabitoon shows Romanian hostage in new video
The video confirms that the jihadist group holds the hostage and that he was still alive as of two weeks ago.
Al Murabitoon threatens French, Dutch forces in Mali in new audio
The statement comes just days after a different statement was released by the group in which it confirmed Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is openly loyal to al Qaeda, as its emir.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar now leads ‘Al Qaeda in West Africa’
A statement released online today confirms that Mokhtar Belmokhtar is now the emir of Al Murabitoon, which calls itself “Al Qaeda in West Africa.” Another Al Murabitoon emerged in Egypt last month and it is also loyal to al Qaeda.
Al Murabitoon claims Mali hotel siege
The statement is the first claim of responsibility despite reports that another jihadist group was likely behind the siege.
Suspected jihadists attack hotel in central Mali
No group has yet to claim the assault, though attacking hotels frequented by foreigners is a common tactic of jihadists.
AQIM claims killing Malian soldiers near Timbuktu
The ambush near Timbuktu is just the latest al Qaeda attack near the city. Additionally, other attacks by jihadists have occurred further south in the country.
French special forces kill AQIM fighter who had been exchanged for hostage
The raid occurred in the Tigharghar mountains and comes just months after French special forces killed two al Qaeda leaders in Mali.
AQIM attack on UN convoy near Timbuktu kills 6 peacekeepers
The incident in northern Mali comes just days after jihadist attacks in the central and southern portions of the country.
Jihadists again attack in southern Mali
The attack is the second in June to take place near the border with Ivory Coast and the second in two days in the lower half of Mali. These attacks come after the government and the main Tuareg rebels in the north have agreed to a peace deal.
Jihadists attack Malian base near Mauritanian border
The assault comes just days after rebel Tuareg groups signed a peace deal with the Malian government.
AQIM Sahara branch releases video showing last two hostages in Mali
The video, which is intended to show the hostages are still alive, shows the captives speaking to their respective governments and families.
Suspected jihadists attack Malian base near Ivory Coast
The attack in southern Mali, which is a rare occurrence, is part of the trend of increased jihadist attacks in the central and southern portions of the country.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb claims 2 attacks in Mali
The attacks targeted a UN base and a UN convoy, which included the heads of the UN’s military and police forces in Mali, near the city of Timbuktu. The claims come after conflicting reports from a Mauritanian news agency that first reported Al Murabitoon claimed the attacks.
French forces kill two al Qaeda leaders in Mali
The special forces raids killed an al Qaeda leader known for kidnapping and murdering Western hostages.
Alleged statement from Mokhtar Belmokhtar denies his group swore allegiance to the Islamic State
The statement also confirms that he and his group, the Al Mulathameen Brigade, are still loyal to Zawahiri and al Qaeda. The Long War Journal cannot independently verify the statement’s authenticity.
Al Murabitoon claims Ansongo suicide attack
The explosion killed three civilians and left 16 wounded, including nine Nigerien UN peacekeepers. The group said that it was directly targeting Nigerien troops because of Niger’s president Mahamadou Issoufou’s response in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris.
French forces free Dutch hostage in Mali
Dutch national Sjaak Rijke has been freed from captivity after being held in Mali since 2011. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Qaeda’s official branch in North Africa, is still believed to be holding two other men captured with Rijke in Timbuktu.
French forces free Dutch hostage in Mali
French forces free Dutch hostage in Mali
Rocket attack on UN base in Kidal kills 3, injures 12
The rocket barrage has not yet been claimed, but al Qaeda-affiliated groups have launched similar attacks on the UN in the past. This comes one day after a terrorist attack, perpetrated by group loyal to al Qaeda, occurred in Mali’s capital.
Rocket attack hits Kidal UN base in northern Mali
Rocket attack hits Kidal UN base in northern Mali
Al Murabitoon attacks nightclub in Mali capital
The assault, which has been claimed by the Al Qaeda-affiliated group, is the first of its kind in Bamako.
Militants kill five in attack on restaurant in Mali capital | Reuters
Militants kill five in attack on restaurant in Mali capital
Iyad Ag Ghaly reportedly in the Kidal region of Mali
Iyad Ag Ghaly, the reclusive leader of the Malian jihadist group Ansar Dine, is purported to be living freely in the Kidal region of Mali. A journalist for the German publication Der Spiegel met with the jihadist leader and his lieutenants.
Mali
French forces killed about a dozen jihadists “in the region of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains” in northern Mali. The UN’s peacekeeping mission is struggling with persistent insecurity and tensions with the civilian populace.
Mali
UN forces reportedly killed three protestors and injured others in Gao after using gunfire to disperse a protest over a plan to disarm a pro-government militia; some reports described the protest as a siege. Suicide bombers and gunmen killed about a dozen people during an assault on Tuareg rebel positions near Tabankort town; the attackers […]
Mali
Tuareg separatists protesting UN airstrikes claimed to have driven UN forces from an airfield in Kidal in northern Mali. A dutch helicopter fired on a car near the town of Gao, killing four rebels. UN forces repelled rebels who attacked them with a heavy machine gun near Tabankort.
Mali
Guinea will send 500 soldiers to aid the peacekeeping mission in Mali. The UN is overseeing negotiations between Tuareg MNLA separatists and the pro-government Arab Azawad Movement, which clashed in Tabankort over the weekend.