Mali forces arrest man accused of links to attacks

BAMAKO, Mali – Malian authorities say forces have arrested an al-Qaida-linked extremist who was living in a neighbourhood near the country’s international airport.

Commandant Modibo Naman Traore announced Sunday in a government statement that the suspected jihadi has been linked to a number of attacks not only in southern Mali but also in neighbouring Burkina Faso.

Authorities described suspect Yacouba Toure as “one of the main suppliers of logistics assistance and weapons to jihadi groups in southern Mali.”

Officials say Toure had joined extremists in northern Mali back in 2010 where authorities say he received weapons training before the French-led military operation in 2013.

Analysts have expressed growing concern about the rise in Islamic extremism further and further south from its stronghold in northern Mali in recent months.