Shahed-Type Drones Filmed During Mali Village Attacks

Bellingcat says it has geolocated some of the clearest footage yet of Shahed one-thirty-six type kamikaze drones striking targets in northern Mali. Working with Jeune Afrique, the outlet used satellite imagery, geolocation and expert analysis to verify two recent strikes — one in the village of Inafarak on July 12, and another in Talahandak on July 17, where footage shows a burning truck and one casualty. Experts told Bellingcat the drones were quite likely manufactured in Russia, pointing to the presence of the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps and Moscow's broader military support for the Malian government. The Shahed one-thirty-six is a long-range, one-way attack drone, originally developed in Iran and now also built in Russia, designed to explode on impact. One drone expert said these cheap, expendable weapons change the risk calculation for operators, potentially forcing insurgents in Mali's far north to adapt to a new aerial threat.

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