Russian mercenaries face renewed peril in Mali conflict
Russian mercenaries suffered another significant loss in Mali. On Thursday, at least seven of them were killed in a clash with the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). This information was provided on Friday by the American intelligence institution, Site Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities on the internet.
According to reports from Site Intelligence Group, terrorists from JNIM also captured some weapons belonging to the Russian mercenaries. Reuters reported on a video from the battlefield showing at least five white men in uniforms lying near a military vehicle.
This is another setback for the Russians in the Sahel region. In July near Tinzaouaten, close to the Mali-Algeria border, 70 to 80 mercenaries from the former Wagner Group were killed, including experienced war veterans from the conflicts in Ukraine, Libya, and Syria. These losses were incurred in clashes with separatist Tuareg rebels.
JNIM was founded in March 2017 from a merger of four extremist organisations linked to Al-Qaeda. It operates mainly in Mali but is also active in Burkina Faso and Niger. The group's leader, Iyad ag Ghali, pledged allegiance to the Emir of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The organisation seeks to establish a state based on Salafi Islam and expel Western influences from West Africa.
Massacre of the civilian population
The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims had previously attacked Russian mercenaries. In July of this year, it claimed responsibility for five attacks on their contingents in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. In one of the most brutal attacks, it is responsible for the massacre of over 200 people, mostly civilians assisting soldiers in digging trenches ahead of an expected attack.
Extremists from JNIM are expanding their activities into more countries in the region. They claimed responsibility for attacks on military bases in northern Togo and Benin, on the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, thus threatening countries located on the Atlantic Ocean.
The fight against terrorism in the Sahel also results in casualties among Western military forces. Since 2013, in operations against Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, 58 French soldiers and four US Army commandos have been killed.
The losses of Russian mercenaries, who have been supporting local military regimes for about three years, have already significantly exceeded those suffered by Western forces.
