Mali rocked by audacious Islamist attacks in the capital

Mali's security situation remains uncertain following a series of coordinated attacks by Islamist rebels in the capital Tuesday, according to Reuters. Insurgents targeted an elite police training academy and other key sites, including Bamako's main airport, where they overran parts of the facility and set the presidential jet on fire.

The military government has not confirmed the death toll, only acknowledging "some" deaths. A video circulated online showed charred bodies in burned sleeping quarters at the police academy, though its authenticity remains unverified. Flights resumed at Bamako's airport on Wednesday. The Al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks and claimed to have killed hundreds of soldiers.

The strike, which occurred on the 64th anniversary of Mali's gendarmerie, followed a recent speech by junta leader Assimi Goita, claiming success against terrorist groups. Analysts view this as a symbolic and premeditated strike, highlighting continued instability in the Sahelian country. In July, Mali's army and its Wagner Group allies suffered a significant defeat by Tuareg rebels in the northern town of Tinzawaten.