The Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), a Sahelian jihadist alliance affiliated with al-Qaida, on Thursday claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing which injured six French soldiers on January 8 in Mali, in a statement released by its platform. - Al-Zallaqa propaganda form.
The GSIM (or Jnim according to the Arabic acronym), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, notably invokes the presumed death of civilians in a recent air strike and the continuation of the French military presence in the sub-region.
Read also: Mali: six French soldiers injured by a suicide vehicle
A fighter from the group "
detonated his vehicle filled with explosives against a convoy of French occupying forces and Malian apostates, in Arbanda, near the border with Burkina Faso,
" said GSIM.
“
We want to assure the French government and people that whatever the strength of the occupying power, it cannot overcome the will of the people to live free.
If you do not withdraw, you will see new attacks, even more violent,
”he added.
The French army announced on January 8 that six soldiers of its anti-jihadist force Barkhane had been wounded the same day in Mali by a suicide vehicle.
This is the third attack since the end of December against the French soldiers, who have already deplored five deaths during the period, according to the staff of the French army.
Read also: The branch of al-Qaida in the Sahel claims the death of two French soldiers in Mali
In 2020, France engaged 600 additional troops in the Sahel, bringing its strength to around 5,100. It is currently reviewing the evolution of this engagement.
At the end of November, the commander of Barkhane, Marc Conruyt, had designated before the French deputies the GSIM as the “
most dangerous enemy
” in the Sahel.
A year earlier, it was the Islamic State group in the greater Sahara (EIGS) which had been designated as enemy number one in the region.
The GSIM press release was authenticated by the American center for monitoring jihadist sites SITE.
