Malian army suffers car bomb attack near Timbuktu

Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, a terrorist group affiliated to al Qaeda, claimed Wednesday September 27 responsibility for a car bomb attack against a military base of the Malian army near the ancient city of Timbuktu, a theater of ongoing fighting between the forces and the militants.

The attack took place 35km South-West of the city, according to press reports.

The terror group in a statement said it has seized the base after fierce fighting with Malian forces which arrived in the city on foot. The Malian army confirmed the attack and the fighting that it described as “complex”.

The terror group did not elaborate whether there were casualties. The Malian army did not confirm losing the base either. The Malian army launched an offensive in August 2023 to flash out Tuareg rebels of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA), who control the region around the city.

Last week both sides clashed. The rebels claimed taking soldiers hostage and seizing two army bases in Lere city while the army announced the loss of five soldiers and an aircraft and the killing of seven rebels as well as the destruction of eight vehicles belonging to the militants.