Battle for Mali base has killed dozens of militants, army says
The army says it was involved in fierce fighting but disputes that Islamists took control of the garrison.
Malian authorities report that their forces successfully repelled a militant Islamist assault on a military base on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of dozens of attackers.
Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating its fighters had seized control of the base in San.
While the army acknowledged suffering casualties and a "temporary retreat" by its soldiers, it disputed claims of ceding control of the base.
This incident occurs amidst a perceived worsening of Mali's security landscape, over a decade after a jihadist insurgency first took hold in the country's northern regions.
"The enemy was eliminated and the attack was successfully repelled. Around 40 terrorists were eliminated," stated Lt Col El Oumrani, commander of the 23rd regiment in the San garrison, in a video message. He urged residents to remain vigilant, asserting that his soldiers were still present and the base remained under army control. "The camp of the 23rd is not empty, it is under the custody of the army."
According to witnesses cited by French broadcaster RFI, the attack commenced around 05:00 local time (GMT) on Sunday and lasted approximately two hours. Witnesses reported that attackers arrived on motorcycles and on foot, with some disguised in army uniforms to infiltrate the base.
One witness recounted that militants entered and held the camp "for a long time before leaving." The witness added, "I noticed that the fighting took place between 200 and 300 metres from the camp. Several terrorists were killed by soldiers, but others fled; some even hid in houses and others went into the forest."
The AFP news agency, citing security and local sources, reported that at least 10 soldiers were killed in the fighting and that the assailants briefly occupied the camp.
The army informed national broadcaster ORTM that the militants utilized drones, heavy machine guns, and armored vehicles to breach the site's perimeter.
Since 2012, Mali has been grappling with insurgencies, leaving significant portions of its northern and eastern territories outside government control.
In April, a series of coordinated nationwide attacks were carried out by an alliance of jihadists and northern separatist rebels, the Azawad Liberation Front, aiming to overthrow the military regime of Gen Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a 2020 coup. During these attacks, Defence Minister Sadio Camara was killed in what appeared to be a suicide truck bombing at his residence near the capital, Bamako.
JNIM has expanded its operations, now targeting not only northern Mali but also central and southern regions, demonstrating an increased ability to penetrate deeper into the country despite numerous military operations.
Following the coup, which was partly motivated by the failure to improve the security situation, Mali rejected French military assistance and instead sought support from Russia.