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Over 50 reported dead in terrorist attacks by suspected jihadists in Mali
9 Aug, 2021 17:01
in central Mali, on February 28, 2020. © MICHELE CATTANI / AFP
Local authorities have reported that three villages near the Mali-Niger border have been attacked by suspected Islamist extremists, killing at least 51. The attack is the latest such incident in the greater Sahel region.
On Sunday, armed militants reportedly simultaneously set upon the three Malian towns on motorcycles before killing civilians and ransacking their homes. In a note to the regional governor seen by Reuters, an Asongo district administrator said on Monday that the provisional death toll was 51, and that several others have been injured.
Local sources reported that the militants set themselves up at the entrances to the towns and began firing randomly at civilians. On Monday, a Malian army patrol was sent to the attacked villages to try to stabilize the region and provide aid to survivors.
“More than 40 civilians were killed by terrorists on Sunday in the villages of Karou, Ouatagouna and Daoutegeft,” an unnamed military officer told AFP. He added that the attackers “went into the villages and massacred everyone.”
Sunday’s assault is the latest such attack in Mali and in the Greater Sahel region. Just last week, another attack by suspected jihadists killed 30 in Burkina Faso. In June, Burkina Faso suffered its deadliest attack since 2015, as suspected jihadists attacked the village of Solhan and killed 132 people. Local authorities said that the gunmen included “young people aged 12 to 14.”
Since civil unrest broke out in Mali in 2012, when President Amadou Toumani Touré was overthrown by a military uprising, the Sahel has become a breeding ground for jihadist terrorism. The vast, largely ungoverned plains have provided the perfect setting for Islamic State- and Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist groups to mobilize.
The French military and UN forces have partnered with regional authorities in an effort to counter and suppress terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, but have struggled to stabilize the region. Jihadist attacks continue to devastate Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and other neighboring states.
Additionally, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in July that France will withdraw its 5,100 anti-jihadist military force in the region by early 2022, replacing the operation in its current form with a new and smaller contingent.
That should really help!
Taliban captures 6th provincial capital weeks after rejecting
reports of a ceasefire, amid fallout from US withdrawal
9 Aug, 2021 12:40
Taliban soldiers ride on tank outside Kabul, Afghanistan. © Getty Images / Per-Anders Pettersson
The Taliban has seized control of its sixth provincial capital in Afghanistan within a matter of days, according to a spokesperson for the group, as the militants continue to secure territory after America’s military withdrawal.
The military victory for the Taliban was confirmed by the deputy governor of Samangan Province, home to the city of Aibak. Speaking to AFP, Afghanistan official Sefatullah Samangani declared that “the Taliban have captured the city of Aibak and have complete control over it.”
The Taliban formally took control of the city on Monday, after a “senator surrendered” and asked Afghanistan to withdraw its forces from the area to avoid further conflict.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declared on Twitter that the city center was completely under its control, while the governor, the police chief, the intelligence department, and all its affiliates were cleared.
The capture of Aibak comes days after Taliban militants seized control of the provincial capital of Sar-e Pul and the region’s fifth-largest city. All major government buildings in the two locations have been secured by Taliban fighters, although Afghan soldiers were reportedly trying to retain control of the Kunduz airport.
The continued military advance of the Taliban throughout Afghanistan follows the group’s rejection of reports that a ceasefire deal had been reached with the country’s government in return for the release of 7,000 prisoners.
Since America’s withdrawal from the region earlier this year, the Taliban claims to have secured 85% of the territory in Afghanistan. Afghan officials dispute this figure, however, claiming it has been exaggerated by the group.
Afghan radio manager working for media rights group killed by Taliban,
journalist kidnapped, officials report
9 Aug, 2021 10:46
Members of the Taliban army ride atop a tank October 15, 1996 near Kabul, Afghanistan.
© Getty Images / Roger Lemoyne / Liaison
Where are they getting these tanks from? Are they American tanks abandoned by the Afghan military?
Afghan officials have reported that Toofan Omar, a radio station manager, has been shot and killed and that Nematullah Hemat, a local journalist, has been kidnapped. They are holding the Taliban accountable for both incidents.
Omar was reportedly shot by suspected Taliban fighters while on his way to Kabul on Sunday. Local officials reported the news on Monday and also disclosed the kidnapping of a journalist in the southern Helman province.
Omar was the station manager of Paktia Ghag Radio and was a contributing member of the Nai Media Watch, a group that supports the rights of Afghan journalists and raises funds for slain media workers in the country.
Hemat was abducted from his home on Sunday and his whereabouts are still unknown, according to officials.
Afghan authorities suspect the Taliban to be responsible for both targeted attacks.
The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) condemned the murder of the former head of Paktia Ghag media center, praising his experience working with 8AM Newspaper, as well his work as a prosecutor for the Attorney General's Office.
Mujeeb Khelwatgar, the head of Nai Media Watch, described him as a "liberal man," adding that Afghan journalists are "being targeted for working independently."
Razwan Miakhel, the former employer of kidnapped Hemat at private TV channel Gharghasht TV, said there was 'no clue where the Taliban have taken him,' adding that his associates were in a 'state of panic.'
The violent resurgence of the Taliban has led the New York Times and a coalition of US media companies to appeal to Congress and the Biden administration to provide 'urgent humanitarian assistance' for Afghan journalists and staff who worked with American outlets.
In July, Nai Media Watch reported at least 30 journalists have been killed, wounded or kidnapped by militant groups in Afghanistan this year.
As more troops withdraw, the Taliban has continued to violently seize strategic cities. On Saturday, the militant group captured another provincial capital, Sar-e Pul, adding pressure on local journalists who face persecution.
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