Africa-Press. The Malian army announced the elimination of 10 militants in an airstrike targeting them in the village of Bilidaga in the Segou region, northeast of the capital Bamako.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces stated in a communiqué that the Malian army conducted an airstrike targeting a group of about ten militants in the village of Bilidaga in the Segou region.
The General Staff explained that the operation was part of offensive reconnaissance missions across Malian territory, resulting in the elimination of the militants and the destruction of their logistical facilities.
The General Staff confirmed that this operation represents a new setback for armed groups seeking to destabilize the region, praising the professionalism of the Malian forces and their commitment to national defense tasks.
A week ago, military authorities in Mali announced the establishment of “military significance areas” prohibited to civilians across the country, under a ministerial decree published on Friday, June 5, 2026, as a new step in their efforts to combat armed groups and enhance security.
According to an official document signed by six Malian ministers, including the Minister of Defense, all individuals found within these areas will be treated as military targets. The new measures cover about 40 areas, mostly forests suspected of being used by armed groups as hideouts and bases.
Authorities clarified that a new defensive system will soon be activated within these areas, which extend from northern Mali to southern Mali and from its eastern to western regions, as part of a security strategy aimed at tightening the grip on armed groups active in several regions of the country.
In recent years, extremist groups have strengthened their positions in rural areas, recruiting fighters and building political influence, rather than carrying out large-scale attacks that attract international attention.
Once merely small groups of militants confined to a specific area of the desert, groups linked to al-Qaeda or ISIS have become capable of moving freely in Mali, controlling about 60% of Burkina Faso and large parts of southern and western Niger.
This has led to the displacement of about 4 million people due to violence, according to the United Nations.
UN estimates suggest that the total number of fighters from ISIS and al-Qaeda in West Africa ranges between 15,000 and 22,000, while separatist Tuaregs in Mali also have thousands of fighters.
As their influence expands, these groups now threaten northern Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Additionally, the insurgencies in northeastern Nigeria have become the most dangerous branch of ISIS, extending westward to connect with other jihadist groups in the Sahel.
