Al-Qaeda’s senior leadership released a statement praising the jihadists in Mali and elsewhere in Western Africa for confronting the “Crusaders.” Al-Qaeda’s management team encourages them to dismantle the “French and American project” across the region.
The large video details several major Islamic State operations inside the Sahel over the last few years.
In addition to the prison break, JNIM also claimed two other recent attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso.
Abu Abdul Rahman al Sanhaji’s death, if confirmed, follows the death of several other high-profile JNIM leaders over the past two years.
No group has yet to claim the attacks, but al Qaeda-linked militants have been widely blamed.
Both groups have claimed deadly assaults in Burkina Faso, playing into the already perilous security situation in the country.
After killing at least 14 civilians in a landmine explosion last week, al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslim’s offers a rare apology.
JNIM took credit for last month’s suicide assault in Gao, Mali. According to the French, however, the attack was largely a failure.
