Azawad Liberation Front: We control large parts of the cities of Gao and Kidal in Mali

Written by: Ayman Ragab

The spokesman for the Azawad Liberation Front, Mohamed Mouloud Ramdane, confirmed that his movement's fighters had seized control of large parts of the cities of Gao and Kidal and their suburbs in Mali.

He told the independent news agency that there were still remnants of Malian and Russian soldiers in military bases outside the city that originally belonged to the UN forces “MINUSMA”.

Complete liberation of Azawad

Ould Ramadan added that his movement’s goal is to liberate all of Azawad and regain control over it, adding that at the same time they are ready to cooperate with any party to overthrow the ruling regime in Mali, which he described as criminal.

He added that the information available to them indicates that the militants belonging to Ansar al-Islam wal-Muslimin have seized control of vital areas in the capital, Bamako, including the airport and the key Kati base, and have also taken control of the city of Sevare.

Overthrow the regime

The leader of the Azawad Liberation Front stressed that they are serious about achieving their goal of liberating all of Azawad and regaining control over it, reiterating their readiness to cooperate with anyone seeking to overthrow the ruling regime in Mali.

Several Malian cities, including the capital Bamako, experienced simultaneous attacks at dawn today.