The Trump administration is actively considering military action in Mali, a West African nation, to target Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group that has significantly expanded its operations in the Sahel region.
According to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the internal deliberations, who spoke with the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity, these discussions are in early stages. If approved by President Donald Trump, the strikes would mark the eighth country in which the administration has ordered military action since the start of his second term.
This potential operation comes amid JNIM’s recent gains in Mali, including coordinated attacks with Tuareg separatists that have resulted in the death of the country’s defense minister and the capture of strategic locations such as Kidal.
The administration is reportedly divided over the best course of action. Sebastian Gorka, asenior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, has reportedly pushed strongly for direct U.S. force against the group. However, some officials have expressed reservations, citing the track record of past interventions by French and Russian forces in the Sahel, which failed to contain the insurgents despite significant resources used.
The Mali deliberations fit into a broader pattern of Trump’s second-term counterterrorism policy in Africa. The administration has already conducted strikes in multiple countries, emphasizing precision actions, intelligence sharing, and limited footprints over large ground deployments.
In late December, U.S. forces carried out strikes against islamist groups in Nigeria, which have been responsible for the killings of thousands of Christians. “The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, including the dead Terrorists, of which there will be many more if their slaughter of Christians continues,” the president posted on Christmas Day.
Exclusive: The Trump administration is weighing military action in Mali to target an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, said current and former officials.
If approved, it would be the eighth nation that President Trump has ordered strikes on in his second term. https://t.co/Ve19uoX4qm
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 22, 2026
West Africa, particularly the Sahel, has long grappled with resilient Islamist insurgencies that have expanded despite multiple external interventions. JNIM (al-Qaeda affiliate) and Islamic State affiliates like ISGS operate across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, across which they control vast amounts of territory and have carried out hundreds of attacks against military personnel and civilians.
The governments in the Sahel are currently led by military juntas that seized power through coups between 2020 and 2023. These regimes have severed security ties with western governments and have instead sought closer alignment with Russia.
