In Mali's capital, a lethal assault occurred at a training camp involving militants.

On Tuesday, militants affiliated with Islam launched an attack on a military training camp and other locations in Mali's capital, resulting in deadly gunfights and the temporary shutdown of an airport. Officials did not disclose the number of casualties immediately.

Government troops swept through the Faladie gendarme school in Bamako after militants attempted to infiltrate it in a rare attack on the capital, resulting in the "neutralization" of the attackers, according to army Chief of Staff Oumar Diarra.

The attack resulted in the loss of life and material damage, as stated by a security official to The Associated Press. However, no specific numbers or details were provided. At least 15 suspects were arrested, according to the official, who was present at the training camp during the attack. He spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The military later stated that the militants had attacked other locations, but did not provide specifics.

JNIM, an al-Qaida-linked militant group, admitted responsibility for the destruction of its website Azallaq. Footage posted by JNIM on the site depicts militants burning a plane at the airport. The group boasted about causing "significant harm to people and property."

On Tuesday, an AP reporter reported seeing smoke rise from a location near the camp and airport on the outskirts of the city after hearing two explosions in the area earlier in the day.

Flights were suspended at Mali's airport following the exchange of gunfire nearby, but it later reopened later in the day.

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako instructed its employees to stay indoors and avoid traveling.

The insurgency in Mali, which has been ongoing for over a decade, is fought by armed groups, some of whom are allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. In the aftermath of recent military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russian mercenary units for security assistance.

Col. Assimi Goita has faced growing attacks from jihadis since taking power, with attacks in central and northern Mali increasing. In July, approximately 50 Russian mercenaries were killed in an al-Qaida ambush in a convoy.

The convoy of mercenaries, who had been fighting against Tuareg rebels alongside Mali's army, was ambushed south of Tinzaouaten in jihadi territory.

Attacks in the capital of Bamako are rare, however.

According to Ulf Laessing, head of the Sahel program at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, JNIM aimed to demonstrate their ability to launch attacks in the south and capital after the battle in the north near the Algeria border resulted in losses for Wagner.

In 2022, gunmen attacked a Malian army checkpoint 60 kilometers from the city, killing at least six people and injuring several others. In 2015, an al-Qaida linked extremist group killed at least 20 people, including one American, during an attack on a hotel in Bamako.

According to Wassim Nasr, a journalist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, Tuesday's attack demonstrated that JNIM has the capability to execute a massive attack.

He stated that they are focusing their efforts on military objectives instead of indiscriminate attacks on civilians.