Mali: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) militants claim attack on Nampala army base that killed at least 8 soldiers
A raid against a Malian army base in Nampala, a town in central Mali located near the border with Mauritania, left eight troops dead on Monday. A military source with the United Nations Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, reported that armed fighters entered the camp at around 6:15 AM, “penetrating the Nampala military camp with relative ease.”
A source close to Mali’s government told VICE News that 10 of the assailants were also killed during the attack. Militants from the regional Islamist group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have claimed responsibility for the assault and taken several hostages, according to the Mauritanian news agency Alakhbar, though this information has not yet been confirmed by the Malian government.
This follows an attack in the northeastern region of Gao on Sunday that targeted MINUSMA peacekeepers, injuring eight soldiers from Niger who were working with the mission.