Several areas of Mali came under coordinated attacks overnight Thursday into Friday, targeting military positions in what local media described as a new wave of operations carried out by the Front for the Liberation of Azawad (FLA) and the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM).
The heaviest attacks were reported in the northern towns of Gao and Anéfis, home to some of the largest concentrations of Malian troops and Russian forces in northern Mali. The Malian army confirmed that its positions in Aguelhoc, Anéfis, Gao, Sévaré and Kéniéroba had come under attack.
According to a field source, the Front for the Liberation of Azawad captured the town of Anéfis and seized Malian army positions there. Fighting, however, was continuing around the military camp where Russian forces are based, which the source said had not fallen.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show the opening stages of the assault on the Anéfis military base, as well as Malian soldiers who were reportedly captured during the fighting. The authenticity of the footage could not be independently verified.
In a parallel development, a trusted source in Bamako said the attack on Anéfis coincided with an assault on Kéniéroba Civil Prison, about 60 kilometres southwest of the capital. According to the source, the prison holds several senior al-Qaeda detainees.
Local media also reported that the FLA and JNIM had launched a broader offensive across several parts of the country, including Gao, Anéfis, Aguelhoc, Sévaré and Kati.
