Mali military reports coordinated attacks on its positions

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Malian soldiers are pictured during a patrol near Niger border in Dansongo Circle, Mali, Aug. 23, 2021. REUTERS/ Paul Lorgerie

BAMAKO  -  Mali's armed forces reported coordinated attacks on multiple military positions early on Tuesday in seven towns in the central and western region of the West African country.

A military statement did not provide details about the attacks or those responsible.

No group has so far claimed responsibility, but the incidents bore the hallmarks of recent operations by al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) militants who have conducted similar assaults in the region in recent weeks.

Mali, governed by a military junta since 2020, has for more than a decade fought insurgent groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda, while contending with a longer history of Tuareg-led rebellions in the north.

The attacks on Tuesday targeted Diboli in western Mali near Senegal's border, and the nearby towns of Kayes and Sandere. There were also attacks in Nioro du Sahel and Gogoui, northwest of the capital Bamako near the border with Mauritania, and in Molodo and Niono in central Mali, the army's statement said.

A spokesperson for Mali's armed forces did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 (Reporting by Mali newsroom; writing by Ayen Deng Bior; editing by Bate Felix and Mark Heinrich // REUTERS)