2017 Indelimane ambush | |||||||
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Part of Mali War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Mali | Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3 killed, 17 injured 1 killed, 1 injured | 2 killed |
On November 24, 2017, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin ambushed Nigerien MINUSMA peacekeepers and Malian soldiers in the village of Indelimane, Mali.
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin was formed in 2017 as a coalition of five different jihadist groups that had been rebelling against the Malian government since 2012. [1] Prior to the attack in Indelimane, the group attacked a MINUSMA base in Timbuktu. [2] On the same day of the Indelimane ambush, JNIM attacked a MINUSMA base in Douentza, killing one MINUSMA peacekeeper and injuring three others. [3]
The ambush occurred at 5am at a MINUSMA camp in the village of Indelimane, Ménaka Cercle. [3] The attack was marked by a rain of rockets that hit the peacekeepers and Malian troops, which was followed up by a frontal attack by the jihadists. [4] MINUSMA reported that several attackers were killed, and the ambush was repulsed. [5] The peacekeepers then sent out in pursuit of the attackers. [6]
Three MINUSMA peacekeepers were killed in the ambush, along with sixteen others injured and one civilian employee injured. [3] The Malian government stated one Malian soldier was killed and one injured. [3] A Nigerien contingent of peacekeepers were on patrol at the time of the attack. [7]
JNIM claimed responsibility for the attack on November 25, and released a statement claiming five Nigerien soldiers were killed along with two JNIM fighters. [8] [9]
In early 2018, GATIA and the MSA, alongside French troops, fought several skirmishes against JNIM and the Islamic State in the vicinity of Indelimane.