The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) have neutralized Souleymane Ag Bakawa, alias “Soldat,” a senior Islamic State in the Sahel (IS) commander responsible for a series of kidnappings and targeted killings in the Ménaka region.
The precision strike took place in Chimam, within the Tinfadimata area of northeastern Mali. Authorities described him as a notorious leader whose group sowed terror across Ménaka and its surroundings.
According to the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA), Bakawa was involved in the recent assassination of police officers and the kidnapping of the president of Ménaka’s civil society.
This operation follows the June 29 capture of Abraham Boubacar, alias “Oubel,” another prominent IS leader, in the Gao region’s Tessit sector—a key infiltration zone at the Mali-Niger-Burkina Faso border.
Boubacar, head of the group’s terrorist operations in Tessit, was arrested along with 10 fighters and critical equipment.
His capture came a day after the elimination of another IS figure, “Abou Dahdah,” near Ménaka.
Authorities believe the intelligence gathered from Boubacar will be vital in dismantling the group’s operational structure.
The Malian military described the recent wave of counter-terrorism operations as “rigorously planned” and urged citizens to remain vigilant and supportive of efforts to restore national security.
