ISIS Releases Photos Of Recent Large Attack On Al-Qaeda In Mali

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On November 2, ISIS official news agency, Amaq, released photos documenting a recent large-scale attack by the group’s branch in Mali, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), on al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

The attack, which took place on August 29, targeted position of JNIM near the town of Ighzrane in the northeastern Malian region of Menaka. Amaq said that the attack was carried out in response to recent massacre of ISIS supporters near Ighzrane by JNIM forces.

Amaq alleged that 40 fighters of JNIM were killed in the large-scale attack on Ighzrane. However, the photos released by the agency showed 34 dead bodies only.

In the course of the attack, ISGS fighters seized loads of weapons and nine vehicles. Five other vehicles were allegedly destroyed.

The ISGS has been battling with JNIM in Menaka for a long while. Much of the region is currently under the de-facto control of the two terrorist group. The Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, an ethnic Touareg rebel group, has been also active in the region, mainly against the ISGS.

A recent report by the Human Rights Watch accused the ISGS and other ISIS-affiliated groups of massacring hundreds of people in northeast Mali and displacing tens of thousands from the region this year.

The recent withdrawal of French forces from Mali didn’t have any impact on the situation in the country. Malian government forces continue to battle terrorist groups, including ISGS and JNIM, with support from the United Nations’ mission and Russian private military contractors.

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