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The al-Qaeda-linked group Jamaat Nusrat Al-Islam Wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for a series of terrorist attacks against foreign military personnel in Mali.
On June 21, several French soldiers and civilians were injured when a suicide bomber attacked a military checkpoint of the French Armed Forces near the village of Gossi. The wounded were evacuated by helicopters to a hospital in Gao. The military base located near Gossi is used by the security forces as a foothold for operations against jihadists in Mali.
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On June 25, another suicide bomber attacked a military unit of the UN mission MINUSMA. The incident took place near the village of Icharaga in the Gao region. Fifteen soldiers of the Bundeswehr and the Belgian Armed Forces were reportedly injured.
Also, the DNIM militants claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on June 19 that targeted foreign forces near the city of Minak. A roadside-planted IED targeted the UN convoy. No casualties were reported.
In a statement, the terrorists threatened French president Emmanuel Macron with more terrorist attacks against the French armed forces and their allied forces in Mali.
The number of terrorist attacks in Mali increased after a senior commander of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was eliminated by French military in early June.
In response, on July 2, the French ministry of the armed forces announced that it would resume its joint operations with the Malian Armed Forces. It had suspended bilateral military cooperation following a second coup in Mali in May. Meanwhile, more than 5,000 French soldiers are deployed in the Sahel.
