BAMAKO: A rare militant attack in the Malian capital targeting a military police training camp and a military airport left over 70 dead and 200 injured, security sources stated on Thursday.
A security official told AFP on the condition of anonymity that around 77 people were killed and more than 255 injured in Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Bamako. A confidential official document said that more than 100 were killed in the attacks. Officials said that all injured have been shifted to the hospitals for medical treatment.
A local newspaper Le Soir reported that the funerals of about 50 military police students would take place on the same day.
However, Mali’s military-led authorities have so far not issued a precise death toll from the terrorist attacks, claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked militant group JNIM. The operation was the first of its nature in years and dealt a major blow to the ruling junta, analysts say.
The general staff acknowledged late Tuesday that “some lives were lost”, notably personnel at the police centre.
JNIM said that a few dozen of its fighters had killed and injured “hundreds” from the opposing ranks.
The attack came a day following junta-led Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger marked a year since the creation of their breakaway grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States.
The trio have been under military rule after a string of coups since 2020, and in January stated they were breaking relations with regional bloc ECOWAS.
