10 soldiers killed, 46 terrorists neutralized in clashes in Mali

By Nur Asena Erturk

The armed forces of Mali announced on Tuesday the death of 10 soldiers in clashes with terrorists in the country’s southeast.

The armed forces “repelled a complex attack using a car bomb by terrorists on vehicles and motorbikes in the town of Bourem," a statement said.

The surviving terrorists fled to northern parts of the region, Agamor and Amoustarat, and the situation is under control, it added.

The Malian military announced the deaths of 10 soldiers, adding that 13 others were injured.

The armed forces neutralized 46 terrorists and destroyed 20 of their vehicles, the statement said.

Last week at least 49 civilians and 15 soldiers were killed in two separate terrorist attacks in the West African country, authorities said.

According to a government statement, on Sept. 7 a passenger boat along the Niger River was attacked around midday, followed by a second attack on an army position in the northeastern Gao region. Fifty attackers were also “neutralized” in clashes with the army.

The so-called Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), affiliated with the terrorist groups al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS, claimed both attacks.

Militant and terrorist groups have been targeting soldiers and civilians in the northern and central regions of Mali since 2012.

Over the last 15 years, fatalities in terrorist attacks in Africa’s Sahel region, including Mali and Niger, have surged by over 2,000%, according to a report released earlier this year.

“The Sahel region in sub-Saharan Africa is now the epicenter of terrorism … accounting for more terrorism deaths in 2022 than both South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) combined,” said the 2023 Global Terrorism Index published by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace.

On a ranking of the countries most affected by terrorism, Mali was ranked fourth, Nigeria was eighth, and Niger was at the number 10 spot.