Raid on Nampala (2015)
Raid on Nampala (2015) | |||||||
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Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Mali |
AQIM Katiba Macina | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
100 | Unknown | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
11 killed 9 injured 3 prisoners | 10 killed |
On January 5, 2015, militants from Katiba Macina and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) overran Malian defenses and briefly captured the city of Nampalari, Mali.
Prelude[edit]
Katiba Macina formed in 2015 as an affiliate of jihadist group Ansar Dine in central Mali's Mopti Region. The group first created bases in the Wagadou forest on the Malian-Mauritanian border, attacking locales in Ténenkou Cercle and Ségou Region.[1]
Raid[edit]
Between 4am and 6:15 am, the attackers arrived from the direction of the Wagadou forest on vehicles fitted with black flags and entered Nampala from the eastern side. The jihadists then turned south-east, heading towards the Malian military garrison in the town.[2][3] Around a hundred Malian soldiers were present at the camp during the attack.[4] Despite this, the jihadists were able to surprise the soldiers and entered the camp.[5][6]
The Malian soldiers did not put up much resistance, and quickly fled the surprise attack.[3] The jihadists quickly took control of the city, and installed their flags on administrative buildings in the few hours before they were evicted.[7] The Malian army and French air force quickly deployed reinforcements to the area, and the jihadists fled the town by 11am.[6] A fighter from AQIM told the Mauritanian news agency Alakhbar that they were withdrawing from the city, and taking three Malian prisoners with them.[8] The jihadists retreated back to the Wagadou forest.[9] Malian forces regained control of Nampala that evening.[10]
Aftermath[edit]
The group responsible for the attack was not identified during the attack. Alakhbar stated they were in contact with a fighter in AQIM that participated in the raid.[11][12] Katiba Macina, an affiliate of Ansar Dine, claimed involvement in the attack a few months later.[13]
The mayor of the nearby town of Diabaly stated that seven bodies clad in military uniforms were discovered in Nampala by the evening.[3] An AFP source within MINUSMA stated eight people were killed in the attack. A Mauritanian truck driver corroborated these numbers, claiming to have seen seven bodies and one soldier dying.[7] Four Malian soldiers were injured and admitted to the hospital in Ségou.[14] On January 7, AFP confirmed eleven soldiers were killed and nine were injured.[15]
On February 7, eleven armed men suspected of being involved in the raid on Nampala and the raid on Ténenkou were arrested northeast of Diabaly.[16] A November 2018 report by the International Federation for Human Rights and the Malian Association of Human Rights stated that ten jihadists were killed in the raid.[17]
References[edit]
- ^ "Communales 2015 : IBK programme les élections de la partition du Mali". malijet.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Sahelien". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ a b c "Mali: au moins huit morts dans l'attaque contre un camp de l'armée". RFI (in French). 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ Makadji, Mamadou (January 7, 2015). "Mali : Attaque de la compagnie militaire de Nampala : Des militaires tués, le standardiste grièvement blessé". Maliactu. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Challenges (2015-01-05). "Sept soldats maliens tués dans un raid islamiste". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ a b "Mali : l'armée attaquée près de la frontière mauritanienne, cinq morts - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ a b "Mali : au moins huit soldats maliens tués dans l'attaque d'un camp militaire". Maliactu. January 5, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "Alakhbar | Mali: AQMI se retire de Nampala avec plusieurs otages maliens". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Au centre du Mali, la forêt du Wadagou intéresse de nouveau Aqmi". RFI (in French). 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Communiqué du gouvernement sur la situation à Nampala". malijet.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Mali : un camp de l'armée attaquée par des hommes armés, 5 morts". french.china.org.cn. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Mali: 8 morts dans l'attaque d'un camp militaire". Le Figaro (in French). 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Mali: the Ansar Dine group claims a series of attacks". Alakhbar. July 5, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "SEGOU: visite du gouverneur aux militaires blessés à Nampala". archive.wikiwix.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Mali: nouvelle attaque d'une localité dans le centre, un civil tué". archive.wikiwix.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Onze jihadistes présumés arrêtés dans le centre, des civils enlevés dans le nord". malijet.com. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
- ^ "Centre Mali : les populations prises au piège du terrorisme et du contre-terrorisme". International Federation for Human Rights and Malian Association of Human Rights. November 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2024.