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Al-Qaeda is Fighting Russian Troops... and Winning

Simon Whistler · July 8, 2026 · 16 min video · Africa

Duration 15:37
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From the transcript

It's not often that we get the chance to start a video with a light from the sm iths, but stop me if you think you've heard this one before.

A dark eye to Link Jihadi's group and an esthenanationalist militia launch coordinated attacks targeting positions held by the Malian government and their Russian allies seem to be winning, which would be disastrous for both Malia and Moscow. No, you're not suffering from deja vu.

This isn't the first time that these groups are launching a coordinated attack. They first did it in April, targeting multiple occasions, including the strategically important towns of Kidal and Gao, and killing the nation's then-defense minister, Saria Kamara. The al-Qaeda-linked group also claimed that it had attacked the presidential residents.

This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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About this briefing

Al-Qaeda’s alliance with Tuareg rebels is reshaping Mali’s war, overwhelming Russian-backed forces and threatening state collapse. Discover the explosive conflict, hidden alliances, and geopolitical consequences unfolding across the Sahel. Megaprojects: https://www.youtube.com/@megaprojects9649 SideProjects: https://www.youtube.com/@Sideprojects Into The Shadows: https://www.youtube.com/@IntotheShadows Today I Found Out: https://www.youtube.com/@TodayIFoundOut Brain Blaze: https://www.youtube.com/@brainblaze6526 Casual Criminalist: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCasualCriminalist Decoding the Unknown: https://www.youtube.com/@decodingtheunknown2373 Places: https://www.youtube.com/@Places302 Celestium: https://www.youtube.com/@Celestium1234 HomeFronts: https://www.youtube.com/@homefronts

Sources

  1. 01Bbc Clyx7nnrkqdo
  2. 02Washingtonpost Mali Attacks Militants
  3. 03X @SaladinAlDronni
  4. 04X @BrantPhilip_
  5. 05Aljazeera What To Know About The Renewed Coordinated Attacks Across Mali
  6. 06Rfi 20260704 Insurgents Attack Multiple Towns In Northern And Central Mali Army Says
  7. 07X Maleo21
  8. 08Bisi Jnim And Fla Coordinate Attacks Across Mali
  9. 09X @SaladinAlDronni
  10. 10X @BrantPhilip_
  11. 11X @BrantPhilip_
  12. 12Aljazeera Aje Onl Nf Russia Sends Weapons To Mali Hold Off Rebel Siege
  13. 13Politicstoday The Limits Of The Fla Jnim Alliance In Mali Is Success Against The Goita Administration Possible
  14. 14Crisisgroup 306 Mali Enabling Dialogue Jihadist Coalition Jnim
  15. 15Stimson Mali Attacks Aggravating The Sahel Security Crisis
  16. 16X @criticalthreats

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