Islamic State, al-Qaeda Support Fuels Attacks in West Africa
- Recent attacks show militants have ‘advanced expertise’: UN
- Al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated groups are cooperating
This article is for subscribers only.
Islamist militant groups in West Africa’s Sahel region are using increased support from al-Qaeda and Islamic State and enhanced cooperation among themselves to carry out more sophisticated and deadly attacks, according to the chief of United Nations mission in Mali.
“When we examine the explosives, the types of mines, shells and weapons they use, our experts tell us that a fairly advanced level of expertise is required that they didn’t have before,” the UN special representative in Mali, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, said Friday in an interview in the capital, Bamako.