The Malian army announced on Tuesday that it had carried out several airstrikes against terrorist positions in the Tombouctou region following a reconnaissance mission conducted by the Malian Armed Forces .
According to military sources, the operations were launched after five pickup trucks carrying individuals considered suspicious were detected near a gathering area.
In a statement, the army general staff said that four targeted strikes were conducted. Preliminary reports indicate that two vehicles were destroyed and several fighters were neutralized. Military authorities added that surveillance missions are continuing in order to assess the full extent of the damage in the area.
At the same time, the Kidal region was also shaken by a series of airstrikes on Sunday morning. According to several local and security sources, more than a dozen bombings targeted various strategic locations in northern Mali.
These operations come amid heightened tensions between government forces, rebels from the Front de libération de l’Azawad (FLA), based in Algeria, and their terrorist allies from the Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group allegedly equipped and financially supported by the military regime of General Saïd Chengriha.
The escalation follows several offensives already carried out in mid-May around Kidal. In late April 2026, the FLA claimed to have taken full control of the strategic city with the support of JNIM.
For their part, the transitional authorities led by General Assimi Goïta stated that they had repelled coordinated attacks targeting several locations across the country, including Bamako, Gao, Sévaré, and Kati.
The Malian government reported several civilian and military casualties while affirming that security forces had regained control of the affected areas. Meanwhile, Africa Corps recently announced that it continues to train Malian soldiers in airborne operations and counterterrorism missions.