11 soldiers killed as jihadists ambush a military patrol in Kaka, Mali

A military patrol in central Mali was ambushed on September 7, 2026, near the village of Kaka close to Sofara in the Mopti region. The attack was claimed by JNIM (Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), an al-Qaeda-linked group.

Local sources, including a senior official from the traditional hunters’ group Dan Na Ambassagou, local notables, and security monitors, reported that at least four Russian Africa Corps soldiers and seven Dozo traditional hunters (auxiliaries supporting the Malian army) were killed. Some sources suggested higher casualties. JNIM released images of some of the victims but did not specify the total number.

The Dozo fighters were traveling in their own vehicle behind the Russian personnel. These hunters operate as self-defense groups in the area to protect communities from jihadist attacks.

The day before, on September 6, a Malian army drone strike in nearby Bourkouma killed a woman and her baby and wounded several other civilians, according to local sources. Some of those sources view the Kaka ambush as possible retaliation by the jihadists.

Neither the Malian army nor the Russian Africa Corps has issued an official statement on the incident. The Malian military did not respond to requests for comment. In a separate update that morning, the army claimed it had destroyed a major terrorist base in the Kekoro forest near Bougouni, several concentration points near Abeibera in the Kidal region, and four positions of the Islamic State’s Sahel branch near Menaka.