By Portia Crowe
DAKAR, Sept 21 (Reuters) – Jihadists killed more than 100 soldiers in central Mali this month, two sources said, while the army said it had evacuated troops from the camp under attack and struck enemy positions during a retaliatory operation lasting more than a week.
The September 10 attack in the town of Dioura and another on the airport in the town of Sevare were the latest by al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) against Mali’s military rulers who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021.
In April, JNIM joined forces with the Tuareg-led separatist group the FLA to carry out nationwide attacks that killed Mali’s defence minister and hit the main airport, highlighting lack of progress by pro-government fighters against the insurgents.
A security source said 130 soldiers died in the September 10 attack in Dioura with more than 100 taken hostage. A diplomatic source said around 120 soldiers were killed.
“During this operation, which lasted more than a week, some of our brothers-in-arms unfortunately fell on the field of honour, while significant losses were inflicted on the attackers,” the Malian army said in a statement on Saturday.
JNIM last week claimed the September 10 attack, saying it had killed 150 soldiers.
AIRPORT SHELLING
In a separate incident, JNIM on Sunday claimed it had struck air defence systems at the airport in Sevare, which houses military aircraft and drones. It claimed to have killed 33 pro-government forces in Sevare and in Konna, also in central Mali.
The Russian paramilitary group Africa Corps supports the Malian army in combat in both places.
A spokesperson for the Malian military did not respond to requests for comment.
As of Monday, there had been six consecutive nights of shelling at Sevare airport, one local resident told Reuters. The resident, who visited the hospital in Sevare, reported seeing about 40 wounded Malian soldiers and Russian fighters there.
Russian troops were no longer visible in the town of Sevare on Monday, the resident added, asking not to be named for fear of reprisal.
Meanwhile, JNIM fighters on motorbikes appeared to have encircled the military camp in Konna, about 55 km from Sevare, according to two Konna residents.
(Reporting by Portia Crowe; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Andrew Cawthorne)
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