Blasts, gunfire hit main military camp in Mali

oordinated

Gunmen attack international airport, main military base in Bamako, target Kati, Kidal, Gao, Sevare also 

under siege

Bamako (capital): Attackers struck Faladie military police school, a training academy for the gendarmerie, & Modibo Keita Int’l Airport.

Kati: About 15km from the capital, the garrison town houses the country’s main military base and the house of military ruler General Assimi Goita.

Kidal: Northern city saw gunmen enter residential neighbourhoods and exchange fire with the army at military camps.

Gao: Strategic military positions were targeted in the major northern city.

Sevare: Unrest and gunfire were reported in this central town, which serves as a critical hub for military operations and logistics.

AP

Dakar (Senegal)

Mali was rocked by a series of coordinated attacks on Satur­day as gunmen targeted the capital and other cities in an unprecedented security challenge to the military government. In a statement, the Malian army said unidentified armed groups launched simultaneous strikes against specific locations and military barracks in Bamako. 

The most intense fighting in the capital occurred near Modibo Keita International Airport, about 15km from the city centre. 

Residents reported hearing sustained heavy weaponry and automatic rifle fire in the morning, while the military deployed helicopters to patrol the surrounding neighbourhoods. The airport is significant as it shares grounds with a primary air force base. Beyond the capital, the assault appeared to span the country. 

In Kidal, gunmen repor­te­dly seized control of neighbourhoods. Mohamed Elmao­uloud Ramadane, a spokesperson the Azawad Liberation Front, said on social media their forces had taken control of key areas in both Kidal and Gao. Although the claims were not independently verified, a former mayor of Kidal confirmed intense gunfire exchanges with the army were ongoing. 

Explosions were reported in Kati, a town near Bamako that serves as the headquarters for Mali’s main military base and is the residence of General Assimi Goita. 

The unrest prompted the US Embassy to issue a security alert on Saturday morning, advising all US citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel to the affected zones until further notice.

Mali, along with neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, has struggled for more than ten years against insurgencies led by affiliates of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.