Ouagadougou: Several members of the Ukrainian secret services operate in Mali on the side of terrorist groups. Africanist and political consultant Viktor Vassiliev, who is currently in the African country, told TASS that, according to his sources, Ukrainian specialists were helping these groups to commission and use the drones.
‘Today, according to my sources, there are indeed, let’s say, several representatives of the Ukrainian secret services who, among other things, help separatist and terrorist groups, firstly, to put into service, and secondly, to use on the spot of drone battles,’ said the expert.
He said earlier statements had noted terrorists’ use of FPV drones and heavy quadcopters, new types of reconnaissance and strike assets that were not previously available to terrorists.
At the same time, the expert noted that the attitude of the Malian population towards Russian instructors is positive.
‘We saw this especially after the capture of Kidal, the separatist capital in the northeast of the count
ry, when mass celebrations were organized on this occasion,’ he said.
On the situation in Mali
Armed rebels attacked a government troop patrol on July 26 near Tin Zaouatine, in northeastern Mali, on the border with Algeria. According to the Malian authorities, two soldiers were killed and ten others injured. The security forces, for their part, succeeded in eliminating around twenty terrorists with vehicles and equipment.
A statement published on the Telegram channel of the Russian private military company Wagner indicates that fighters from the Coordination of Azawad Movements and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims linked to Al-Qaeda*, who attacked the Russian fighters of an assault detachment near Tin Zaouatine in Mali, numbered up to 1,000.
The general staff of the armed forces of Mali reported in a press release fierce fighting against terrorists near Tin Zaouatine.
The armed conflict between the Malian authorities and extremist and separatist groups began in 2012. Since then, the country has be
en in crisis, particularly in the areas of security and socio-economic development.
Source: Burkina Information Agency