United States is considering military action in Mali to degrade an al-Qaeda-affiliated group known as Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, according to The Washington Post.
JNIM primarily operates from Mali, with fighters and presence spanning across Burkina Faso and southwestern Niger. JNIM has, however, extended its imprint to Nigeria with attacks in Kwara State.
Mali is struggling to contain the jihadist sect, which joined forces with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group. Their alliance has caused hundreds of deaths over the past months.
Last weekend, the factions’ coordinated ambush on a military convoy in northern Mali killed more than 50 soldiers and allied Russian fighters. Others were driven away to unknown location(s).
The incident occurred between Anefis and the city of Gao, the second major offensive since the nationwide hits in April, when the airport in Bamako was attacked. Defence Minister Sadio Camara was also assassinated.
The African Union has condemned the attacks in Mali and Niger, urging strengthened regional cooperation on intelligence-sharing, border security, operational coordination, criminal networks, and terrorist financing.
During recent remarks in Washington, Nick Checker, Senior African Bureau Official, said the U.S. remains wary of resurgent Jihadist terrorist activity while avoiding any long-term American presence or commitments.
Checker added that America’s engagements with Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso are aimed at promoting regional ownership and “cooperation against the enduring challenge of transnational terrorist groups in the Sahel.”
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