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Gunmen attacked respective locations successful Mali's superior and different cities aboriginal Saturday successful a imaginable coordinated assault, residents and authorities said.
Mali's service said successful a connection that "unidentified equipped violent groups targeted definite locations and barracks" successful Bamako and that soldiers were "engaged successful eliminating the attackers." It said successful different connection aboriginal the concern was nether control.
Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, arsenic good arsenic a separatist rebellion successful the north.
An Associated Press writer successful Bamako heard sustained dense weapons and automatic firearm gunfire coming from Modibo Keïta International Airport, astir 9 miles from the metropolis center, and saw a chopper implicit adjacent neighborhoods. The airdrome is adjacent to an aerial basal utilized by Mali's aerial force. A nonmigratory surviving adjacent the airdrome besides reported gunfire and 3 helicopters patrolling overhead.
An aerial presumption of Bamako, Mali, Saturday, April 25, 2026.
AP
Residents study gunfire and blasts
Residents successful different cities successful Mali reported gunfire and blasts connected Saturday morning, suggesting a imaginable coordinated onslaught by equipped groups.
A nonmigratory of Kati, a municipality adjacent Bamako that is location to Mali's main subject base, besides said helium was woken up aboriginal successful the greeting by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. Gen. Assimi Goita, the person of Mali's military junta, resides successful Kati.
Videos connected societal media showed militant convoys successful trucks and motorcycles moving done the town's deserted streets, portion residents looked connected fearfully. Other videos successful the bluish towns of Kidal and Gao showed gunfire exchanges successful the streets, with dormant bodies lying connected the ground.
Gunmen entered Kidal, taking power of immoderate neighborhoods and starring to exchanges of occurrence with the army, a erstwhile politician of the municipality told the AP implicit the phone. He spoke connected information of anonymity retired of fearfulness for his safety.
Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the Tuareg-led Azawad separatist movement, said on Facebook its forces had taken power of Kidal arsenic good arsenic immoderate areas successful Gao, different northeastern city. The AP could not independently verify his claim.
The separatists person been warring for years to make the authorities of Azawad successful bluish Mali. They erstwhile drove information forces from the region, earlier a 2015 bid woody that has since collapsed paved the mode for immoderate ex-rebels to beryllium integrated into the Malian military.
A nonmigratory of Gao said gunfire and explosions started successful the aboriginal hours of Saturday and could inactive beryllium heard successful the precocious morning.
"The unit of the explosions is making the doors and windows of my location shake. I'm frightened retired of my wits," the nonmigratory told the AP by phone. He spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that of concerns for his safety. The nonmigratory said the gunfire came from the service campy and the airport, which are close adjacent to each other.
Largest coordinated onslaught successful years
The U.S. Embassy successful Bamako issued a information alert, saying, "There person been reports of explosions and gunfire adjacent Kati and the Modibo Keita International Airport successful Bamako," and, "U.S. citizens should structure successful spot and debar question to these destinations until further accusation becomes available."
Ulf Laessing, caput of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said the battle seems to beryllium the largest coordinated onslaught successful years successful Mali.
"It's particularly concerning that JNIM (al Qaeda-affiliated group) seemingly has been coordinating today's attacks with Tuareg rebels: Jihadists and Tuareg rebels teamed up successful 2012 erstwhile they overran bluish Mali, sparking the region's information crisis," Laessing said.
Mali, alongside neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, has agelong been battling equipped groups affiliated with al Qaeda and the Islamic State group, a combat that has escalated implicit the past decade.
Following subject coups, the juntas successful the 3 countries person turned from Western allies to Russia for assistance successful combating Islamic militants.
But the information concern successful Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso has worsened successful caller times, analysts say, with a grounds fig of attacks by militants. Government forces person besides been accused of sidesplitting civilians they fishy of collaborating with militants.
In 2024, an al Qaeda-linked radical claimed an onslaught connected Bamako's airdrome and a subject grooming campy successful the capital, sidesplitting scores of people.
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