Mali’s government announced on Sunday that a senior Tuareg rebel commander, Fahad Ag Almahmoud, was killed in a drone strike over the weekend. The attack took place in Tinzaouaten, a town in northern Mali under rebel control.
A Reuters correspondent reported the event from Tinzaouaten, near the Algerian border, where Tuareg factions gathered to form a unified military and political structure. The strikes hit amid a backdrop of a collapsed 2015 peace accord between the government and rebels that had led to renewed violence in the region.
The incident has not been officially acknowledged by the Malian army. However, a confidential military source indicated that the strike also targeted other ‘terrorist leaders.’ The ongoing conflict has already resulted in numerous casualties, including civilians, in the region.
(With inputs from agencies.)