2017 Boulikessi attack

The Waraba battalion of the Malian Army was attacked around 5am by three pickups in Boulikessi while on patrol on March 5.^[2] The soldiers fled the scene, some ending up in the village of Dambatousougou in Burkina Faso, and others in Mondoro.^[3][4] Much of the Malian Army's equipment and weapons were destroyed or captured by the jihadists.^[5] The commander of the Malian detachment, Lieutenant-Colonel Abdoulaye Diallo, was killed fending off the jihadists.^[6] Fighting lasted for four hours.^[6] Fighters from the pro-government Arab Movement of Azawad were present near the attack, but did not intervene.^[7]

The Malian government deployed reinforcements from the Waraba and Debo battalions, along with French forces, to search for the perpetrators.^[5]

AFP claimed the attack was perpetrated by Ansarul Islam shortly after news broke, but JNIM claimed responsibility on March 9.^[8][5]

The Malian ministry of defense claimed the deaths of eleven soldiers and the injuries of five others.^[5] A resident of Boulikessi, speaking to Nord Sud Journal, claimed thirteen soldiers were killed.^[7] The UN reported in its March 2017 report that fifteen Malian soldiers were killed and five were injured.^[9] JNIM claimed only two of their fighters were wounded in the attack, and claimed to have killed a dozen Malian soldiers.^[10]

Three Malian soldiers taken captive during the attack appeared in JNIM propaganda videos in October 2017.^[11]