Attack by Al-Qaeda Linked Group in Mali Kills over 70

Hardline fighters from the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimeen (JNIM) carried out the attack on an elite police training academy and the nearby airport on Tuesday, prompting shock and anger in the West African country.

A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the AFP news agency that 77 people had been killed and 255 injured in the attack.

An authenticated confidential official document put the toll at about 100, identifying 81 victims, AFP added.

Two diplomats serving in the region, including one based in Bamako, told the Reuters news agency the death toll was believed to be in the 70s.

A third diplomat based in the region said hundreds were believed dead and injured, and hospitals had run out of beds to treat the victims, Al Jazeera reported.

The country is fighting an armed uprising that began more than a decade ago in its arid north. It has also spread to neighboring countries in the Sahel region leaving thousands dead and forcing millions from their homes.

The attack undermines claims from the military, which seized power in a coup in 2021, to have stabilized the situation after the departure of French troops and turning to Russia for security.

Mali’s military rulers have acknowledged some losses.

JNIM claimed that a few dozen of its fighters had killed and wounded “hundreds” from the opposing ranks, including members of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

It published videos on social media that showed its fighters firing randomly into the windows of the presidential hangar and destroying aircraft.

A plane used for humanitarian work by the World Food Program (WFP) was one of those damaged, according to National Airways Corp, the South African aviation company that owns the plane.