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September 17, 2024 | 11:43 AM ET |
The Malian military government has reported that it thwarted a “terrorist” attack in the capital, adding the situation is “under control”.
The army said on Tuesday that it was conducting a security sweep after fighting off gunmen who attacked a military police centre in Bamako. Mali’s military government has been fighting rebel groups since overseeing a coup in 2021.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) – the group that claimed responsibility for the attack – have, among other groups, been waging a militant islamist insurgency in Mali for more than a decade.
JNIM is considered to be one of the most active militant groups in the wider Sahel region, having staged numerous attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.
It said its “special operation” on Tuesday struck both the training centre and Bamako’s military airport, leaving heavy human and material losses.
The army did not mention any such losses, but said “a group of terrorists tried to infiltrate the Faladie gendarmerie school” in the morning.
The school was among a number of “sensitive points” “targeted by terrorist attacks” at dawn, the security ministry said.
The military facility, located in the Feladie district on the southeastern outskirts of the capital near the main airport, came under attack early on Tuesday morning. Witnesses reported gunshots and explosions.
“Early this morning, a group of terrorists attempted to infiltrate the Faladie [Feladie] gendarmerie school. Mopping-up operations are currently under way throughout the area,” the army said in a statement.
The military called on residents to avoid the area and await further official reports.
Bamako’s Modibo Keita international airport was temporarily shut down due to the unrest, an airport official told the AFP news agency.
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