Malian Forces Kill High-Profile Terrorists in Recent Major Manhunt

The armed forces in Mali raided and dislodged several terrorist camps during their November operations, using sophisticated military weapons to launch air and ground attacks on the criminal masterminds troubling the country.

In a Dec. 10 statement, the Malian forces said at least 20 reconnaissance offensives were carried out against the terrorist groups. There were six direct terrorist attacks against the Malian troops and seven against the civilian populations. Sixteen incidents of improvised explosive devices (IED) were also reported, as the criminal groups destroyed one bridge.

“Counter attacks by our men resulted in the neutralisation of tens of the terrorists, the capture of others and the seizure of a large quantity of war and logistics materials from the armed terrorist groups,” said Souleymane Dembele, the Director of Information and Public Relations of the Malian forces.

He added that a combination of ground and air raids yielded results, including killing high-profile terrorists during the strategic operation in Tinzawatene and Kidal region earlier this month.

Dembele revealed that the reduction in the number of direct attacks against the Malian forces and the augmentation in the number of improvised explosive devices as compared to October 2024 could be explained by the massive loss of resources by the armed groups.

“These wicked and criminal activities by armed terrorist groups would in no way hinder the determination of the Malian armed forces to ensure their regalian noble missions of protection of persons and their goods throughout the national territory,” Dembele vowed, urging the troops to remain vigilant to avoid unfortunate surprises by “these lawless armed bandits”.

Dembele commended the quality of intelligence gathered, noting how it helped to dismantle the structured network of the terrorist leaders and destabilise their chain of command.