Mali: Jihadis attack army base, murder 27 soldiers, injure 33 more

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are both active in Mali, and have “seized vast swaths of the Malian countryside,” and have expanded their operations into neighboring countries. Why is this happening?Everyone in the United States now knows that the jihad terrorists are a tiny minority of extremists, far less of a threat than white supremacists, and repudiated by the overwhelming majority of Muslims worldwide.

So if all that is true, how is it that they have managed to seize vast swaths of the Malian countryside and expand operations into Niger, Burkina Faso, and elsewhere? Could it be that they are more popular among Muslims, and consequently better financed and equipped, than we have been led to believe was possible?

“At Least 27 Soldiers Killed in Central Mali Attack,” Reuters, March 4, 2022:

BAMAKO (Reuters) – A militant attack on an army base in central Mali on Friday killed at least 27 soldiers and wounded 33 more, the government said.

Seven soldiers are still missing following the complex attack in the rural commune of Mondoro, which involved car bombs…

Seventy “terrorists” were killed in the military’s response, the statement said, without specifying which militant group was responsible. Affiliates of both al Qaeda and Islamic State are active in central Mali….

The militants have since regrouped and seized vast swaths of the Malian countryside, while also expanding into Niger, Burkina Faso and other neighbouring countries.