Media Citation
Are 'low-cost, high-impact' drones making Sahel fighters tougher to beat? | Al Jazeera
Source: Al Jazeera | 11 February 2026
Experts say ISIL and al-Qaeda-linked groups increasingly use drones to target army positions with IEDs and to gather intelligence.
Analysts say the daring attack shows ISSP’s growing confidence at a time when the swarm of armed groups operating across the troubled Sahel region in Western Africa is expanding its areas of operation with advanced technology. Many of its fighters had breached military drone hangars using RPGs and mortars, and managed to damage several aircraft and one civilian aeroplane, according to videos from the group.
“This is unprecedented,” Heni Nsaibia, a senior analyst at the conflict monitoring think tank, ACLED, told Al Jazeera, noting that ISSP usually limits offences to rural areas and uses rudimentary weapons like AK-47s.
