A spate of attacks was coordinated by Tuareg separatists and jihadis with links to al-Qaeda. It's the most serious fighting to rock the Sahel nation in years.

Islamic militants from al-Qaida-linked JNIM and Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front jointly attacked Bamako airport and 4 other Malian cities in one of the largest recent coordinated assaults.

Tuareg rebels and jihadists launch largest Mali offensive in years An unprecedented alliance between Tuareg separatists of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has carried out coordinated assaults across Mali, killing Defence Minister Sadio Camara and seizing Kidal.

DAKAR, ⁠April ⁠25 (Reuters) - Al ⁠Qaeda ​affiliate JNIM ‌claimed ‌joint ⁠responsibility with ⁠the Tuareg-dominated rebel ​group ​FLA for ⁠coordinated attacks ⁠across ⁠Mali on ​Saturday, SITE ​Intelligence ⁠Group ⁠quoted JNIM as saying in ⁠a statement.

Romanticized by European colonizers as fierce, camel-riding warriors swathed in indigo veils, the semi-nomadic Tuareg people of North and West Africa for centuries coaxed a livelihood from their harsh environs in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Libya.

The army in junta-ruled Mali on Saturday battled what it called "terrorist groups" that launched surprise attacks around the capital Bamako and other parts of the west African nation.A Malian army

Mali's Defence Minister Sadio Camara has been killed in coordinated assaults on military sites, including his residence in Kati, which was targeted by an al-Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels.

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