Mali frees 82 soldiers held by armed groups in the north

Mali announced on Thursday that 82 soldiers held captive by armed groups in the country's north have been released and are now in government care. The Malian army confirmed the soldiers' safety following an operation it described as the result of rigorous planning and coordinated efforts. The release was mediated by Algeria, according to a source in Mali's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The soldiers had been held hostage by a coalition of al-Qaeda-linked Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). The armed groups claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks on April 25 that targeted Bamako's airport, the garrison town of Kati, and several other locations. Those attacks killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara and resulted in the capture of the soldiers. The two groups also claimed responsibility for a fresh wave of attacks on army positions across Mali on July 4.

The Malian army's statement, aired on state television, said the freed soldiers had been held since the April attacks. However, the FLA offered a different timeline. In a statement on Thursday, the group said it had released about 80 soldiers taken prisoner...