Mali detains six alleged members of Al Qaeda for their role in the September attacks in Bamako

MADRID 28 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Malian Armed Forces have announced the arrest of six alleged members of the branch of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda in the Sahel for their role in the attacks carried out in September against military installations in the capital, Bamako, which left nearly 70 dead and more than 200 injured.

The General Staff of the Malian Army has indicated in a statement on its account on the social network Facebook that the arrests took place “thanks to the exemplary coordination” between the security forces and the “cooperation” of the population, before adding that the The detainees would have “facilitated the arrival” to the area of ​​the terrorists who launched the attack.

Thus, he has called on the population to increase “vigilance” against “malicious individuals who work with terrorist groups and who can hide among the population”, while highlighting that these arrests represent “a great advance in the continuous fight against terrorism”.

“The Armed Forces remain determined to continue their efforts to guarantee security throughout the country,” said the Army, which has shown its “commitment” to “fight tirelessly against all forms of terrorism and work to achieve a safe climate.”

The aforementioned attacks were carried out by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM) against a military base located near the Bamako airport and the Gendarmerie School in Faladié, the main objective of the assaults and the place where the attacks were recorded. most of the victims.

The attack was the first major attack on the capital since November 2015, although a military base located about 15 kilometers from the capital where the leader of the military junta, Assimi Goita, resides, was the target of another attack in July. of 2022.

On the other hand, the General Staff has indicated that its troops repelled an attack launched on Monday by “terrorists” against a security post in the town of Sandaré, located in the Kayes region (west), combats that resulted in “large losses” among the assailants due to the “immediate and determined reaction” of the Armed Forces.

The country is led by a junta established after the coups d’état of August 2020 and May 2021, both headed by Goita, current transitional president. The president has led a rapprochement with Russia and has distanced himself from his Western allies, including the departure of Mali in January – along with Burkina Faso and Niger – from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).