International hostages held captive in western Sahel
SOURCES: MENASTREAMCREDIT: JULES DUHAMEL
Mali: Barkhane forces neutralize ten ISGS fighters including a senior commander in Menaka
French forces of Operation Barkhane conducted an air-landed operation overnight between December 14-15 in the Menaka Region. The operation resulted in ten militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) being “put out of action”, and arms and electronic equipment seized, according to France’s General Staff of the Armies (EMA). 10 GAT neutralisés …
Sahelian militants pledge(d) allegiance to the Islamic State
Mali: Complex attack against French forces in Menaka
Around 1300 local time on Sunday afternoon, an attempted complex attack targeted French forces in the area of Akabar, Menaka Region, not far from the border with Niger. French forces reportedly spotted and opened fire against a Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED) (Ouest-France), triggering a premature detonation, local sources testified about the sound …
Read more “Mali: Complex attack against French forces in Menaka”
Exclusive: End of the run for Tunisian Ansar al-Sharia founder Abu Iyadh al-Tunisi
Seifallah Ben Hassine, commonly known as Abu Iyadh al-Tunisi—one of North Africa’s most influential jihadi ideologues—is confirmed to have been killed on February 21, 2019, in northern Mali. A senior Tunisian Al-Qaida member, Afghanistan veteran, and founder of the Islamist organization Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia (AST) is now confirmed to have been killed in an …
Read more “Exclusive: End of the run for Tunisian Ansar al-Sharia founder Abu Iyadh al-Tunisi”
Mali: French forces killed ISGS commander involved in Tongo Tongo ambush
Early on the morning of August 26, French forces of operation Barkhane conducted a combined air-ground operation between Infoukaretane and Labouta, about 30km south of Ménaka. Two Mirage 2000 fighter jets carried out an air raid followed by action on the ground by commandos. The operation resulted in the death of a senior commander of the …
Read more “Mali: French forces killed ISGS commander involved in Tongo Tongo ambush”
Mali: Al-Mourabitoun commander and associates killed amidst Barkhane operation near Tabankort
On July 29, French forces of Operation Barkhane conducted a military operation in the Tilemsi Valley, specifically in the area of Ersane near Tabankort, Gao Region. The operation was initiated by an airstrike followed by a ground assault. The operation resulted in the killing of Himama Ould Lekhweir (alt. Hamama Ould al-Khuwayyir) and at least thirteen of …
Libya: Tunisian AQIM commander killed in Ubari airstrike
In the evening of July 25, an unknown aircraft conducted an airstrike that struck a vehicle in front of a house in the Al-Sharib district of Ubari. An area mainly inhabited by Libyan and Malian Tuareg. The airstrike briefly interrupted electricity and telecommunications. The air raid was initially assumed to have been carried out by …
Read more “Libya: Tunisian AQIM commander killed in Ubari airstrike”
Mali: “The old man of the mountain”
Timely, two days ahead of Mali’s presidential elections, the emir of Jama’ah Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), Iyad Ag Ghaly made his first appearance since the announcement of the merger in March last year, which gathered several militant factions into a Sahelian jihadi conglomerate. A beard grey of age and whitened by the sun, cut into …
Video: Another video released by Katiba Salaheddine (ISGS) – “Response to Aggression by MSA and GATIA”
Katiba Salaheddine’s second video was released on June 24, entitled “Response to Aggression by MSA and GATIA”. The group’s first video was published the day before, showcasing two GATIA technicals taken as “spoils of war”, reportedly amidst clashes on December 22, 2017, in the area of Ahina, rural Gao. Katiba Salaheddine is led by Sultan Ould Badi, a Malian militant, …