According to the Malian government, 49 civilians and 15 dead soldiers were murdered in an attack on the ship “Timbuktu” by JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Africa’s Sahel region. The events occurred in Bamba in the Gao region. “In response to this twin attack, a combined air-ground operation was carried out by our gallant forces, which enabled the neutralization of about fifty terrorists. In addition, emergency measures were taken to evacuate all passengers and wounded and secure the place.”
“These attacks once again illustrate the barbarity and cowardice of terrorists fleeing the FAM offensive and attacking vulnerable civilian targets. “The Transitional Government reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the eradication of terrorism in all its forms and to the further realization of the goals of the transition is the only salvific path to refounding our homeland,” the statement concluded.