The assertion, shared through JNIM's official channels, remains unverified by Reuters independently.

A column of black smoke rises above buildings as traffic passes the Africa Tower monument in Bamako on April 26, 2026.

(photo credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)

ByREUTERS

JULY 5, 2026 01:47

West Africa's al-Qaeda linked organization, known as Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin or JNIM, asserted on Saturday that it carried out multiple strikes against military sites in Mali. The group also stated it had taken over at least three such positions.

Reuters could not independently verify the assertion, which was shared through JNIM's official communication channels.

Earlier this month, JNIM also asserted responsibility for an assault on the airport and military airbase in Niger's capital that the government said killed 11 members of the security forces, highlighting persistent insecurity in the Sahel region.

The assault in Niamey, which witnesses said began at around 6 a.m. local time and lasted for over two hours, was the second on the airport complex this year, after the region's Islamic State affiliate, known as Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), targeted the site in January.

JNIM is also active in Burkina Faso and Mali, where it staged bold nationwide strikes in April, hitting the airport in the capital Bamako, killing the defense minister, and seizing a string of army bases.

Niger struggling against jihadist groups

Niger, like its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has struggled to contain attacks from jihadist groups that have killed thousands and displaced millions across the three countries.

It is increasingly bearing the brunt of a rivalry between JNIM and ISSP, which engaged in their first skirmishes in 2019 and have since clashed hundreds of times, resulting in more than 2,100 deaths, according to data from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a conflict monitoring group.