The West African nation of Mali was shaken when its defence minister, Sadio Camara, was reported killed during a series of synchronized assaults on military targets and urban centres. Witnesses and security sources described an overnight operation that struck the fortified garrison town of Kati, areas near the capital Bamako, and northern hubs such as Gao and Kidal. Attackers are believed to include the al-Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg-aligned fighters from the Azawad Liberation Front. Observers say the scale and reach of the strikes mark a significant escalation in the ongoing insurgency.
The assault included a direct hit on the residence of the defence minister inside a garrison town widely regarded as one of the nation’s most secure military enclaves. Sources on the ground
