The Tuareg alliance says the vehicle, which was reportedly used by US troops in last October’s deadly ambush in Niger, was recovered after recent raids on Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali.
The recent battle comes less two weeks after the Tuareg militias last clashed with militants from the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
At least 276 attacks in Mali and its neighboring countries were linked al Qaeda in 2017. This includes a significant shift of violence to central Mali, as well as northern Burkina Faso.
At least 50 people were killed by a suicide bomber during morning prayers at a local mosque in northeastern Nigeria. No group has claimed the attack, but it fits with the modus operandi of that of Abubakr Shekau’s faction.
US AFRICOM has confirmed that three US Special Forces troops have been killed in an ambush near Mali. The three are the first American soldiers to die in combat in the country.
Al Qaeda’s newly formed entity, the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims, have perpetrated a multitude of attacks in Mali and elsewhere in West Africa this year. This represents a major security threat for the region.
Despite a relative lull in the use of females in suicide bombings in 2016 compared to 2015, West Africa is currently seeing a significant uptick in the use of females so far in 2017.
Earlier this month, four al Qaeda groups in West Africa merged to form the “Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims.” Its constituent organizations launched more than 250 attacks across the region in 2016, a significant increase in the jihadists’ operational tempo from the previous year.
With at least 257 al Qaeda-linked attacks in Mali and its neighboring countries, this represents a significant uptick in the al Qaeda-led insurgency in northern Mali in recent years.
The Islamic State has officially recognized a loyalty oath sworn by Abu Walid al Sahrawi, a jihadist based in West Africa. Sahrawi first swore his fealty to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in May 2015. It is not clear why it took so long for the so-called caliphate to recognize him as one of its representatives.
Today’s attempted prison break is just the most recent in a spate of attacks in Niger from suspected Malian-based jihadists.
No group has to yet to claim this, but al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has been behind several kidnappings of Westerners in Niger in the past.
The attack was reportedly perpetrated by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, but no group has yet to claim the assault.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and associated groups have unleashed a string of attacks in Mali and elsewhere in West Africa this year.
AQIM says the attack is meant to show that it can target Algeria in “whatever area we want, and to let you know that your fortifications that you have made will not prevent the strikes of the mujahideen from reaching you.”
The suspected Boko Haram attacks in both Niger and Chad continue to demonstrate that the jihadist group is a threat to regional stability and not just Nigeria.
As coalition forces have pushed Boko Haram from its former strongholds, the terrorist group has retained the ability to strike back. Its relatively new official ties to the Islamic State may enhance the group’s longevity, creating a more difficult security environment for Nigeria and its partners.
As forces from Nigeria, Chad, and Niger continue to push Boko Haram from its strongholds in northeastern Nigeria, the group has continued to inflict damage upon civilians. Earlier this month, Boko Haram kidnapped over 400 young women and children from the Nigerian town of Damasak near the border with Niger.
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Nigerien forces repelled attacks by Boko Haram on the border towns of Bosso and Diffa; 109 jihadists and four soldiers were killed, and 17 soldiers were wounded. Shortly afterward, a young boy blew himself up in Diffa’s market, killing five.
Boko Haram has attacked Niger for the first time. Fierce counterattacks by Chadian and Nigerian forces reportedly killed over 100 Boko Haram fighters. A Chadian general was also wounded in the battle.
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Hundreds said killed by Boko Haram in attacks in northeastern Nigeria
Despite a French-led counterterrorism operation in Mali and the Sahel, al Qaeda-linked violence continues to be a problem.
Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters assaulted and took control of the Multinational Joint Task Force base in Baga, Nigeria. The base was used by troops from Nigeria, Niger, and Chad to conduct counterterrorism missions.
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