Mali's Military Offers $3.5 Million Reward for Al-Qaeda Leader in Sahel

The military government of Mali is offering $3.5 million for information leading to the capture or killing of Iyad Ag Ghaly. The military is also offering a smaller reward for information on other suspects, including Tuareg separatists.

The military forces ruling Mali have announced a reward of $3.5 million for anyone providing information to capture or kill Iyad Ag Ghaly, who heads the Sahel branch of the terrorist group al-Qaeda, which has carried out major attacks in the country since April.

Ghaly, who is the leader of Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), is wanted by several countries in the Sahel region of Africa, some of which are governed by military forces.

In April, JNIM joined forces with Tuareg rebels to launch the largest attacks against the Malian government in over a decade. The simultaneous attacks resulted in several deaths, including that of Defense Minister Sadio Camara.

JNIM is the largest Islamist group fighting against the military forces in the Sahel, where many extremist Islamist and separatist groups operate.