On May 2, 2017, Malian forces were ambushed by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin fighters near Dogofry, Mali.

2017 Dogofry ambush
Part of Mali War
DateMay 2, 2017
Location
Between Nampalari and Dogofry, Mali
Result JNIM victory
Belligerents
Mali Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Casualties and losses
9 killed
5 injured
None (per JNIM)

Background

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Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) was formed in early 2017 as a coalition of five jihadist groups that rebelled against the Malian government in 2012.[1] The attack in Dogofry was the first notable attack of JNIM in western Mali, following earlier attacks in Boulikessi and Gourma-Rharous in the east.[2]

Ambush

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The ambush began around 1pm against a Malian convoy travelling between Nampala and Dogofry, Mali.[3] Malian soldiers from the Balazan combined arms group, based in Nara, hit a mine placed by the jihadists on the road, at which point the jihadists opened fire on the convoy.[4] Following the ambush, the jihadists retreated towards the Wagadou forest.[5] The attack was not initially claimed, but suspected to have been perpetrated by JNIM.[6]

Aftermath

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AFP initially announced the deaths of eight Malian soldiers and four wounded.[3] On the evening of May 2, Abdel Karim Konate, the Malian Minister of Commerce and a government spokesman, announced that nine soldiers were killed and five were injured.[4] One vehicle was destroyed and another was captured.[7] JNIM claimed responsibility for the attack on May 3, and claimed the deaths and injuries of at least twenty Malian soldiers, while suffering no losses themselves.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Mali: Enabling Dialogue with the Jihadist Coalition JNIM". www.crisisgroup.org. 2021-12-10. Archived from the original on 2023-12-13. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  2. ^ "Mali : attaque meurtrière contre l'armée dans le nord du pays". France 24 (in French). 2017-04-18. Archived from the original on 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  3. ^ a b "Le nord bascule (à nouveau) dans la violence : Silence des autorités maliennes". malijet.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-04. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  4. ^ a b "Au Mali, neuf soldats tués dans une embuscade tendue par des terroristes". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2017-05-03. Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  5. ^ "Mali: l'ouest du pays reste sous la menace des groupes armés". RFI (in French). 2017-05-04. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  6. ^ "Embuscade, hier, contre l'armée malienne entre et Diabali : 8 soldats maliens tués et 5 autres blessés, selon l'armée". malijet.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  7. ^ "Embuscade contre les Fama entre Nampala et Dogofri / Bilan provisoire 9 morts, 5 blésés et 2 véhicules perdus". malijet.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  8. ^ "Le groupe de Iyad revendique l'embuscade contre l'armée malienne près de Nampala causant la mort de 9 militaires". kibaru.ml (in French). 2017. Archived from the original on 2023-12-20. Retrieved 2023-12-20.