Dozens of Malian and French soldiers were killed or Injured in a recent suicide attack by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS), the terrorist group’s news agency, Amaq, claimed in a report on March 14.
According to Amaq, the attack targeted a convoy of French and Malian forces near the town of Indelimane on the road linking the towns of Ansongo and Menaka in eastern Mali on March 10.
A suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) struck a gathering of Malian and French soldiers near the convoy, allegedly killing or injuring most of them.
Amaq said that SVBIED was driven by a suicide bomber known as Abdullah al-Ansari. The agency also shared a photo of the attacker.
Abu Abdullah al-Ansari
The same convoy was supposedly targeted again on March 11 near the town of Ihagana with an improvised explosive device (IED). Amaq claimed that the attack destroyed a vehicle, killing everyone aboard it.
No SVBIED or IED attacks were reported in Mali on March 10 or 11. This suggests that ISIS-GS claims are false or that both attacks were a complete failure.
ISIS-GS was formed in 2015 as the result of a split within the radical group al-Mourabitoun. French and Malian forces have been attempting to contain the threat of the terrorist group ever since with limited success.
