Mali junta rocked as al-Qaida militants and Tuareg separatists launch major coordinated attacks on Bamako and northern cities
Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida and Tuareg separatists carried out one of the largest coordinated assaults in Mali in more than a decade on Saturday, striking the capital Bamako, its international airport, a key military base and several cities across the north and centre of the country. The al-Qaida-affiliated group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying it had acted jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist movement. JNIM said its fighters targeted strategic sites including the residence of junta leader General Assimi Goïta and that of Defence Minister General Sadio Camara. Heavy gunfire…