Al-Qaeda, ISIS Fuel Mali Unrest: Five Indians Kidnapped

Five Indian nationals working on electrification projects in Mali have been abducted, adding to the nation’s growing security challenges. The kidnapping occurred near Kobri on Thursday. The West African nation, currently led by a military government, has been intensifying its fight against escalating violence, which it blames on al-Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as the Islamic State. Authorities are urgently seeking information on the whereabouts of the five abducted Indian citizens. Other Indian workers on the same project have been safely evacuated to the capital, Bamako, as the region struggles with the impact of extremist insurgencies.