| 2017 Boulikessi attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|  Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lt. Col. Abdoulaye Diallo † | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 15 killed 5 injured 3 captured | 2 wounded (per JNIM) | ||||||
On March 5, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Boulikessi. The attack was the first by JNIM since its inception that month.
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin was formed in March 2017 as a coalition of five jihadist groups that initially rebelled against the Malian government in 2012. These groups included Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Katiba Macina, Al-Mourabitoun, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, and Ansar Dine, whose leader Iyad Ag Ghaly also became leader of JNIM. [1]
The Waraba battalion of the Malian Army was attacked around 5am by three pickups in Boulikessi while on patrol on March 5. [2] The soldiers fled the scene, some ending up in the village of Dambatousougou in Burkina Faso, and others in Mondoro. [3] [4] Much of the Malian Army's equipment and weapons were destroyed or captured by the jihadists. [5] The commander of the Malian detachment, Lieutenant-Colonel Abdoulaye Diallo, was killed fending off the jihadists. [6] Fighting lasted for four hours. [6] Fighters from the pro-government Arab Movement of Azawad were present near the attack, but did not intervene. [7]
The Malian government deployed reinforcements from the Waraba and Debo battalions, along with French forces, to search for the perpetrators. [5]
AFP claimed the attack was perpetrated by Ansarul Islam shortly after news broke, but JNIM claimed responsibility on March 9. [8] [5]
The Malian ministry of defense claimed the deaths of eleven soldiers and the injuries of five others. [5] A resident of Boulikessi, speaking to Nord Sud Journal, claimed thirteen soldiers were killed. [7] The UN reported in its March 2017 report that fifteen Malian soldiers were killed and five were injured. [9] JNIM claimed only two of their fighters were wounded in the attack, and claimed to have killed a dozen Malian soldiers. [10]
Three Malian soldiers taken captive during the attack appeared in JNIM propaganda videos in October 2017. [11]
Amadou Koufa, nom de guerre of Amadou Diallo, also spelled Hamadoun Kouffa or Amadou Kouffa is a Malian Fulani jihadist and preacher who founded Katiba Macina, later part of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.
Ba Ag Moussa was a Malian militant and jihadist.
The Mondoro attack took place on 4 March 2022, when al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked a Malian military base, causing heavy casualties.
On April 2, 2021, insurgents from the al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a contingent of Chadian troops serving in MINUSMA, the UN's peacekeeping branch throughout the Mali War. The Chadian troops effectively repelled the JNIM attack, inflicting heavy casualties.
On January 24, 2021, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) launched simultaneous attacks on Malian troops stationed in the towns of Boulikessi and Mondoro, Mali. The Malian forces, combined with French weapons from Operation Barkhane, repulsed the JNIM attacks from both towns.
On June 14, 2020, dozens of Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush perpetrated by the al-Qaeda linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). The attack was one of the deadliest incidents in recent Malian history, and served as a precursor to the 2020 Malian coup d'état.
On April 6, 2020, jihadist militants from the al-Qaeda linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a secluded Malian military base in Bamba, killing dozens of Malian soldiers. A raid in retribution the following day killed JNIM leader Abu Yahya al-Jizari.
On March 19, dozens of Malian soldiers were killed at a military base in Tarkint in an attack perpetrated by the al-Qaeda linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).
The battle of Boulikessi took place between September 30 and October 1, 2019. Jihadists from JNIM and Ansarul Islam attacked Malian bases in Boulikessi and Mondoro, killing between 40 and 85 Malian soldiers, making it the deadliest attack for the Malian army since the Second Battle of Kidal in 2014.
The raid on Dioura was an attack on a Malian military base in the town of Dioura, Mali, by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) on March 17, 2019.
On June 9, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in the town of Boni, Mali.
On January 27, 2018, militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Coalition of the People of Azawad attacked a Malian military base in Soumpi, Mali.
On November 24, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin ambushed Nigerien MINUSMA peacekeepers and Malian soldiers in the village of Indelimane, Mali.
The raid on Tin Biden occurred between October 23 and 24, 2017, between French forces of Operation Barkhane and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin in the remote wadi of Tin Biden, Kidal Region, Mali. In the battle, French forces killed eleven Malian prisoners of war held captive by JNIM.
On August 14, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a MINUSMA base in Timbuktu, Mali.
On June 17, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in Bintagoungou, Tombouctou Region, Mali.
On May 2, 2017, Malian forces were ambushed by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin fighters near Dogofry, Mali.
The battle of Gourma-Rharous took place on April 18, 2017, between French and Malian forces against an attacking Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.
Between October 6, 2020, and October 22, 2020, Fulani militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin's Katiba Macina laid siege to the town of Farabougou, Ségou Region, Mali. The fighting initially began as an intensification of ethnic conflict between Bambara and Fulani militias, and escalated when Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin surrounded the city. As JNIM tightened the siege on the city, residents faced famine and drought. Mediation committees composed of leaders and elders from nearby villages attempted to negotiate the lifting of the siege, but Malian forces liberated it on October 22. Jihadists still held a large presence near the town for weeks to come.
The battle of Ber took place between August 11 and 12, 2023, between the Malian Armed Forces and the Wagner Group against fighters of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM). The battle was the first major confrontation between the CMA and Malian forces since the signing of the Algiers Accords, and led to the breakdown of the accords by late 2023.
