Terrorist groups - home based:
al-Mulathamun Battalion: aim(s): replace regional governments, including in Mali, with an Islamic state area(s) of operation: headquartered in the north; targets primarily international interests, especially Westerners and Western entities; responsible for multiple lethal attacks across the country in 2016, including kidnappings in Tombouctou and along the border with Burkina Faso; affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); elements based in Mali are part of Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, JNIM), an alliance umbrella of al-Qa'ida linked groups in Mali that announced its presence on 2 March 2017; JNIM is responsible for several attacks carried out in central Mali
Ansar al-Dine (AAD): aim(s): install Sharia throughout Mali; the Macina Liberation Front branch seeks to rebuild historic Islamic empires, primarily the Macina Empire area(s) of operation: headquartered in the north, with its Macina Liberation Front branch based in Mopti in Central Mali increasing its operations in the south; launches attacks against Malian Military forces, French troops, UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and other Westerners; AAD is a member group in Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Group for the support of Islam and Muslims, JNIM), an alliance umbrella of al-Qa'ida linked groups in Mali that announced its presence on 2 March 2017; AAD's overall leader and founder Iyad Ag GHALI leads JNIM, which is responsible for several attacks carried out in central Mali

Terrorist groups - foreign based:
al-Qa'ida (AQ): aim(s): overthrow the Malian Government and, ultimately, establish a pan-Islamic caliphate under a strict Salafi Muslim interpretation of Sharia area(s) of operation: maintains an operational presence and established networks, especially through its branch, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, JNIM), an alliance umbrella of al-Qa'ida linked groups in Mali that announced its presence on 2 March 2017; JNIM is responsible for several attacks carried out in central Mali
al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM): aim(s): replace the Malian Government with Sharia and, ultimately, create a regional Islamic caliphate across all of North and West Africa area(s) of operation: maintains a heavy operational presence, especially in the northern half of the country; conducts attacks against foreigners and Malian, French Government, and UN forces and facilities; responsible for multiple attacks across the country in recent years; has engaged in numerous kidnappings for ransom in Tombouctou and along the border with Burkina Faso; on 20 November 2015, AQIM and al-Mulathamun Battalion operatives killed 20 foreigners at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, when they stormed the hotel while shooting and lobbing handgrenades; AQIM's Sahara branch is a member group in Jama'ah Nusrah al-Islam wal-Muslimin (Group for the support of Islam and Muslims, JNIM), an alliance umbrella of al-Qa'ida linked groups in Mali that announced its presence on 2 March 2017; JNIM is responsible for several attacks carried out in central Mali