Extremists Attack Military Camp in Mali as Authorities Close Main Airport

BAMAKO, Mali — Extremists attacked a military training camp in Mali’s capital on Tuesday, the army said, as explosions were heard in the area. Within hours, the government said it was temporarily closing the airport in Bamako.

A sweep operation was underway after gunmen attempted to infiltrate the Faladie gendarme school, the military said in a statement. The army said the situation was under control and asked people to avoid the area.

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There were few details as to what had happened.

The communications officer at the ministry of of transport, Mohamed Ould Mamouni, said flights have been suspended due to the exchange of fire that occurred near the airport. The ministry would determine when it’s possible to reopen, he said.

Early Tuesday morning an Associated Press reporter heard two explosions and saw smoke rise in the distance. The training school is located on the outskirts of the city.

Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance instead.

Since taking power, Col. Assimi Goita has struggled to stave off growing attacks by the jihadis. Attacks in central and northern Mali are increasing. In July, approximately 50 Russian mercenaries in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush.

The mercenaries had been fighting mostly Tuareg rebels alongside Mali’s army when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadi territory and ambushed south of the commune of Tinzaouaten.

Attacks in the capital are rare. In 2022, gunmen struck a Malian army checkpoint about 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside the city, killing at least six people and wounding several others.