Malian troops have launched an offensive against militant insurgents in the northeastern part of the country, near the border with Algeria.
"The objective of this operation is to regain control of Tinzaouatene, the last town of the Algerian border still under terrorist occupation," Mali said on Monday in a statement shared on X network by the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) information channel.
The AES comprises Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which are all under military rule.
"This new phase of the fight against terrorism in Mali marks an intensification of efforts to secure the border areas," the statement added.
Fight against insurgency
Mali, just like its Sahel neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger, has been grappling with regular insurgent attacks, which have claimed thousands of lives, and displaced even a higher number of people.
The offensive on the north comes two weeks after militant group JNIM claimed responsibility for a major attack on the Malian capital Bamako that left at least 77 people dead.
Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which have since announced their exits from West African regional bloc ECOWAS, have ramped up their fight against insurgency, saying one of the Alliance of Sahel States' main objectives is to secure the three nations against terrorism.
Mali has also managed to recapture key towns — including Kidal in the northeast — that were previously under the control of Tuareg separatists.
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