The US is considering airstrike options against the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) in Mali, according to a Washington Post report. The US administration is discussing the possibility of military intervention against the terrorist threat in the region.
JNIM has besieged the capital Bamako and carried out attacks this month that killed 50 Malian soldiers. The group has also forced mercenaries from Russia's Africa Corps to withdraw at least twice this year. The Malian military junta, which seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, had distanced itself from France and the US and sought protection from Russia against jihadist groups.
The group aims to turn the country into an Islamist jihadist state. If it achieves this goal, Mali would become the first country in the world to be ruled by a jihadist organization. JNIM was officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2018 during the first Trump administration.
A US State Department official speaking to Fox News Digital said, "The United States unequivocally condemns terrorist activities in Mali." The official added, "In the Sahel, the US is committed to promoting regional ownership and cooperation against terrorist threats and to monitoring indicators of threats to our homeland."
Former British diplomat and United Nations official Edmund Fitton-Brown said the US could order military action primarily to prevent jihadists from establishing a permanent foothold in Mali. Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, commented, "Mali is becoming a safe haven for al-Qaeda and ISIS as a failed state, and it looks like the first of several African dominoes likely to fall."
Retired Air Force Major General Kenneth P. Ekman, who until last year served as director of the Defense Department's West Africa Coordination Element, said airstrikes could persuade Mali's rulers to turn away from Russia and toward the US. Ekman said, "JNIM has a suffocating effect on the government and much of the population. The Russians are extremely ineffective and exploitative. Cooperation with US forces offers a disproportionate and positive impact."
Experts say that in a potential airstrike, the US might not use its own aircraft directly but could instead work with French and other intelligence services to develop local intelligence, though this would have limited effect. A former Defense Department official said the US has cruise missiles and long-range bombers, but attack drones would likely not be involved.
US interest in Mali is not limited to security. The country is one of Africa's largest gold producers and has lithium deposits widely used in rechargeable batteries. Fitton-Brown said, "President Trump may be less reluctant than his predecessor to work with the juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger if they lose faith in their Russian friends."
Ekman stressed that he believes airstrikes are being considered, saying, "JNIM and ISIS are a threat to US interests and are on the rise in West Africa."
