The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) announced on Sunday the neutralization of at least 70 terrorists during two separate operations carried out in the northern and central parts of the country.
According to a statement relayed by local media, the first operation took place in northern Mali, in coordination with the air forces of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). It resulted in the elimination of around forty armed fighters.
The second operation, conducted in central Mali, led to the neutralization of about thirty terrorists. The FAMa also destroyed a logistics base and a training center belonging to armed groups.
Additionally, security sources confirmed the death of terrorist Souleymane Ag Bakawa, also known as “Soldat”, one of the most wanted leaders of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS). A former deserter from the Malian army, he was killed on Monday in a targeted operation in the Tinfadima area, in the Ménaka region.
Also known by his war name “Abou Dahdah”, he was a key ideologue for the terrorist group, specializing in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide bombings. He was held responsible for multiple civilian kidnappings, attacks against the FAMa, and the recent deadly assault in Banibango, Niger.
These operations mark a new turning point in Mali’s fight against terrorism, as the armed forces step up their offensives against groups affiliated with ISGS and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.