Mali Armed Forces Announced the Balance of Operations for August

The balance sheet of operations was announced at the press conference held by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the Mali Armed Forces (DIRPA) regarding the security situation and military activities in the period of 1-31 August.

DIRPA Director Senior Colonel Bakary Bocar Maiga stated that the Mali Armed Forces (FAMa) carried out 740 air missions and flew more than 2,293 hours throughout August.

Stating that 214 air strikes were carried out on targets belonging to armed groups within the scope of these missions, Maiga noted that 50 bases, 564 motorcycles, 129 pickups, 5 shelters, 1 illegal gold mine and 230 barrels of fuel were destroyed during the operations.

Maiga stated that approximately 1,000 armed elements were neutralized in the operations, and that the operations were concentrated in Gao, Menaka and Kidal in the east of the country, as well as in the San, Bandiagara, Macina, Bulkessi and Yuvaru regions in the central parts.

Stating that dozens of soldiers held captive in August were released, Maiga said that efforts are continuing to release other soldiers still in captivity.

Maiga reported that the Malian army's land and air units escorted 3,681 fuel tankers throughout the month, transporting 3,312 passengers and more than 126 tons of cargo.

Mali has been struggling with attacks by armed groups and security problems since 2012. While the security crisis that started in the north of the country spread to the central and southern parts over time, JNIM, affiliated with the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, is among the main armed groups carrying out attacks in the country.

In the north of Mali, there are clashes between the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), which defends the independence of Azawad, and the Malian army.