- Ohtani eyes MLB history after surpassing 50 stolen bases
- Barca downed by Monaco as Arsenal held in Champions League stalemate
- Head's 'good night at office' after century seals win over England
- Dubois seeks legitimacy with Joshua scalp
- Rate cut could lift consumer spirits before US elections
- Last-gasp Gimenez strike sends Atletico past Leipzig
- Barca stumble at Monaco after early red card
- Raya heroics save Arsenal in Champions League opener at Atalanta
- Guardians beat Twins to secure MLB playoff berth
- Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
- Alonso hails 'efficient' Leverkusen after Feyenoord rout
- Ex-Man United striker Anthony Martial joins AEK Athens
- NFL unbeatens meet as Texans visit Vikings, Steelers host Chargers
- Head's hundred seals Australia win over England in 1st ODI after Labuschagne strikes
- Dream debut for Wirtz as Leverkusen thump dire Feyenoord
- Myanmar flood death toll climbs to 293: state media
- Israel army says West Bank air strike kills 4 militants
- LIV golfers get green light for US Ryder Cup team, PGA Championship
- US accuses social media giants of 'vast surveillance'
- Ten Hag to bed Hojlund, Mount in carefully when they return for Man Utd
- Breaking bad as McIlroy endures 'weird' day
- EU chief announces $11 bn for nations hit by 'heartbreaking' floods
- Spanish PM, Palestinian leader urge Mideast de-escalation
- New study reinforces theory Covid emerged at Chinese market
- World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
- Bagnaia eyeing summit on home ground in 100th MotoGP
- 'Something was wrong', defendant in French mass rape tells court
- Hezbollah chief admits 'unprecedented' blow in device blasts
- Sales of US existing homes slip slightly in August
- Fear, panic haunt Lebanese after devices explode
- Labuschagne sparks Australia fightback in England ODI opener
- S.Africa's HIV research power couple says fight goes on
- Why is Israel focusing on border with Lebanon?
- Mpox vaccines administered in Rwanda, first in Africa
- US Fed rate cut is 'very positive sign' for economy: Yellen
- Unknown Mozart string trio discovered in Germany
- 'Are we five-year-olds?' F1 drivers won't mind their language
- Brazil judge orders X to reimpose block or face hefty fine
- Munich to rename stadium street after Beckenbauer
- Champions Italy to face Argentina in Davis Cup Final 8
- The winding, fitful path to weight loss drug Ozempic
- Italians defeat American Magic to reach Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Norris has 'nothing to lose' as he hunts Verstappen in Singapore
- Kyiv 'outraged' at Swiss showing of Russian war film
- French city renames Abbe Pierre square after abuse claims
- Footballer charged after huge cannabis seizure at UK airport
- Vatican recognises Medjugorje shrine, but not Virgin's messages
- Bank of England freezes rate after jumbo US cut
- Playing Nadal is 'kind of a nightmare', says Alcaraz
- Portugal tackles last of deadly northern forest fires
Jihadist attack in Mali capital killed more than 70: security sources
A jihadist attack in the Malian capital of Bamako targeting a military police training camp and airport left more than 70 people dead and 200 wounded, security sources said Thursday, one of the highest tolls suffered in recent years.
The attacks Tuesday in Bamako were the first of their kind in years and dealt a forceful blow to the ruling junta, experts said.
The death toll has put scrutiny on the junta's military strategy and its claims that the security situation is under control despite jihadists roaming the region for years.
The operation claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked Group to Support Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has prompted widespread shock and condemnation within the West African country.
Many Malians have taken to social media to demand accountability for what they consider a security lapse.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that 77 people had been killed and 255 wounded in Tuesday's attacks.
An authenticated confidential official document put the toll at around 100, identifying 81 victims.
The general staff acknowledged late Tuesday that "some human lives were lost", notably personnel at the military police centre.
Mali's military-led authorities have so far given no indication of any burials or future measures in response to the attacks, which were not mentioned in the minutes of Wednesday's cabinet meeting.
JNIM claimed that a few dozen of its fighters had killed and wounded "hundreds" from the opposing ranks, including members of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner.
The attack came a day after junta-led Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso marked a year since the creation of their breakaway grouping, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).
The three countries, which have been under military rule following a string of coups since 2020, have broken ties with former colonial ruler France and turned militarily and politically towards other partners including Russia.
Bamako is normally spared the sort of attacks that occur almost daily in some parts of Mali.
The West African country has been ravaged since 2012 by different factions affiliated to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
- Condemnation -
Volleys of gunfire interspersed with explosions broke out in Bamako at around 5:00 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday.
JNIM fighters attacked a military police school and stormed part of the nearby airport complex, where a military facility adjoins the civilian one.
The jihadist group broadcast images showing fighters strolling around and firing randomly into the windows of the presidential hangar and destroying aircraft.
Condemnation poured in on Thursday, including from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Mali's neighbour Senegal, African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the UK embassy.
The French embassy in Bamako offered its "condolences to the government of Mali".
Jean-Herve Jezequel, Sahel project director at the International Crisis Group, told AFP that one hypothesis could be that "the jihadists are trying to send a message to the Malian authorities that they can hit them anywhere and therefore that the big cities must also be protected".
He said the aim could be to force the government to concentrate its resources in populated areas and have fewer troops in rural areas "where these jihadist groups have established their strongholds".
Against a backdrop of severe restrictions on freedom of expression under the governing junta, virtually no public figures in Mali have spoken out against the alleged security lapse.
The daily Nouvel Horizon, a rare dissenting voice, wrote on its front page that it was "time to apportion blame at all levels".
X.Brito--PC