Media Citation
Rise in al Qaeda attacks revives spectre of West African caliphate | Reuters
Over 850 people killed by insurgent attacks in May - ACLED data. Analysts say attacks driven by Islamists' change of strategy. Al Qaeda's JNIM seeks to impose Islamic rule.
Source: Reuters | 17 July 2025
DAKAR, July 17 (Reuters) - At dawn on June 1, gunfire shattered the stillness of Mali's military base in Boulkessi. Waves of jihadist insurgents from an al-Qaeda-linked group stormed the camp, catching newly deployed soldiers off guard.
Some troops, unfamiliar with the base, which lies near Mali's southern border with Burkina Faso, scrambled to find cover while others fled into the arid brush, according to one soldier, who spoke to survivors of the attack.
