Battle of Bamba

Last updated
Battle of Bamba
Part of Mali War
Pampa attack.jpg
Malian soldiers in Bamba after the attack
DateApril 6, 2020
Location
Bamba, Mali
Result JNIM victory
Belligerents
Flag of Mali.svg Mali Flag of Jihad.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Abu Yahya al-Jazairi  †
Casualties and losses
Malian claim:
25 killed, 6 wounded
JNIM claim:
30 killed or wounded		Malian claim:
~12 [1]

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.

Contents

Battle

Prior to the battle, residents of Bamba stated JNIM militants were riding around the town on motorbikes, and setting up positions in preparation for the attack. [2] The attack was launched at 5:15am on April 6, with the fighters attacking an old inn that Malian troops were using as a military base. [2] [3] After destroying and seizing equipment from the base, the jihadists retreated. [3] [4] The attack was claimed four days later, on April 10, by JNIM. [5]

Casualties and aftermath

On the day of the attack, local elected officials stated that at least twenty Malian soldiers were killed in the attack. [4] Both civilians and the elected officials stated that JNIM only targeted the Malian base, and no civilians were harmed. [2] [1] In the following days, after Malian operations to recover bodies and the captured weaponry, it was assessed that 25 Malian troops were killed and six wounded, with around a dozen JNIM fighters sustaining casualties during the battle. [1] [6] JNIM claimed in its statement admitting it's involvement in the attack that around 30 Malian troops were killed. [5]

In late April, it was reported that Abu Yahya al-Jizari, the leader of JNIM and commander in the battle at Bamba, succumbed to injuries sustained during combat in Bamba. [7] He was later replaced by Talha al-Libi. [8]

Related Research Articles

The Mondoro attack took place on 4 March 2022, when al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked a Malian military base, causing heavy casualties.

On October 6, 2021, al-Qaeda-allied jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) ambushed a Malian convoy in Mopti Region, killing scores of Malian soldiers. The ensuing firefight left dozens of jihadists dead.

On February 3, 2021, Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a Malian base in the remote town of Boni. French troops from Operation Barkhane came to the Malians' aid, and successfully repulsed the attack. The attack came in direct response to the recent Franco-Malian counteroffensive of Operation Eclipse.

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 October 13, 2020, jihadists from al-Qaeda linked group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) attacked a Malian military base in Sokoura, Malian reinforcements attempting to relieve the troops at the base were ambushed by more jihadists at the bridge in Parou, with the ensuing firefight killing 12 civilians. The attack was the deadliest attack in Mali since Bah Ndaw took power in a coup in August.

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 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.

On April 21, 2019, Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked a Malian military base at Guiré, Mali, as revenge for the Ogossagou massacre.

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.

The 2019 Aguelhok attack was an attack by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin against the MINUSMA base in Aguelhok, Mali on January 20, 2019. At the time of the attack, the base was defended by Chadian and Bengali peacekeepers, and was later aided by French forces part of Operation Barkhane.

On July 31, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin ambushed a convoy of Malian soldiers transporting electoral votes near Dogofry, Mali.

On June 9, 2018, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin attacked Malian forces in the town of Boni, Mali.

The Inaghalawass skirmish took place on February 14, 2018, between French forces and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin fighters. In French airstrikes, former al-Mourabitoun commander Abu Hassan al-Ansari was killed.

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 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.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mali. Au moins 25 soldats tués dans une attaque attribuée aux djihadistes". Ouest-France via AFP. April 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Dozens of Malian soldiers killed in attack on military base". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  3. 1 2 "Mali: un camp militaire attaqué par des jihadistes dans la région de Gao". RFI (in French). 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  4. 1 2 "Au moins 20 soldats maliens tués dans une attaque". LEFIGARO (in French). 2020-04-06. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  5. 1 2 "Al-Qaïda au Sahel revendique une attaque et salue le coronavirus". VOA (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  6. ↑ "25 soldiers killed in northern Mali attack: official - Xinhua | English.news.cn". www.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  7. ↑ "Abu Yahya al-Jazairi". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  8. ↑ "Letter dated 16 July 2020 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities addressed to the President of the Security Council" (PDF). United Nations Security Council. July 23, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
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