Islamic militants and separatists claim sweeping attacks across Mali

DAKAR, Senegal, April 26, (AP): Islamic militants and separatists said they attacked several locations in Mali 's capital, Bamako, and other cities on Saturday in one of the largest coordinated attacks in the West African country in recent years. The government gave no death toll but said that 16 people were wounded in the attacks.

Mali has previously faced insurgencies fought by militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the country's north. Most of the details of the unfolding attacks on Saturday came from local residents, who spoke to The Associated Press over the phone. The al-Qaeda-linked militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for the attacks on Bamako's international airport and four other cities in central and northern Mali.

The claim, posted on its website Azallaq, said the attacks were carried out jointly with the Azawad Liberation Front, a Tuareg-led separatist group. The Malian army said in a statement that "unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks” in Bamako and that soldiers were "engaged in eliminating the attackers.”

Another statement later said the situation was under control. An Associated Press journalist in Bamako heard sustained heavy and automatic weapons gunfire from the direction of Modibo Keïta International Airport, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the city center. A helicopter flew over nearby neighborhoods.

The airport is adjacent to an air base used by Mali's air force. A resident living near the airport also reported gunfire and three helicopters overhead. The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a security alert citing reports of explosions and gunfire near Kati and the international airport, and urged U.S. citizens to shelter in place and avoid travel there.

Mali’s government spokesperson Gen. Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, said on state television late Saturday that 16 people were wounded, including civilians and military personnel, and that several militants were killed. He did not provide a death toll. The governor of Bamako's district, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, announced a three-day overnight curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

A resident of Kati, a town near Bamako that is home to Mali’s main military base, said he was woken by the sound of gunfire and explosions. Gen. Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali’s military junta, resides in Kati. The residence of Mali’s defense minister, Sadio Camara, was heavily damaged by an explosion during the attack, a nearby shopkeeper told the AP. The residents spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.