Mali’s junta leader meets Russian ambassador after attacks the Kremlin called a coup attempt

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - Mali's junta leader met with Russia's ambassador to Bamako on Tuesday, authorities said, his first public appearance since the West African nation saw a massive, coordinated attack by Islamic militants and separatists over the weekend. Russia, the junta's key ally, called the attack a coup attempt.

The office of the military leader, ​Assimi Goita, released photos showing him meeting a Russian delegation led by the Ambassador Igor Gromyko in what appeared to be the presidential palace in Bamako, the Malian capital.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Mali issued a security alert, citing "possible terrorist movements within Bamako, including reports of forced school closures."

In power since a 2020 coup, the junta suffered a major attack on Saturday after al-Qaida-linked militants and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front group staged coordinated attacks on at least four cities in a region considered a global hot spot for terror-related deaths.

The near-simultaneous attacks struck Bamako's international airport, the nearby garrison town of Kati and several northern and central cities, including Kidal and Sevare.

The separatist group Azawad Liberation Front said its fighters eventually seized Kidal, after Malian and Russian forces withdrew from there. Mali's defense minister, Gen. Sadio Camara, was also killed in the attacks.

Three days later, who was in control in areas that came under attack and the extent of casualties from the fighting remained unclear.

Bamako was on edge and some residents said they were worried about their safety.

Russia's Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, denounced the weekend attacks as a coup attempt and claimed it was foiled by Russian forces - the Africa Corps that provides support to Mali's junta - in partnership with Malian security forces.

A ministry statement said around 12,000 attackers carried out the offensive using sophisticated weapons, detailing how military aircraft were deployed in support of ground forces using "all types of weapons" to pursue the attackers.

It confirmed the withdrawal from Kidal as a decision by the Malian government and said that units stationed in the northern city had "fought for more than 24 hours in full encirclement against vastly superior enemy forces and repelled four massive attacks on its main stronghold and outer defensive positions."

The Malian government has not provided any detailed account of the attacks and The Associated Press could not independently verify the Russian account.