Kidnapping risk from Mali jihadists: Exclusive Analysis

French troops were reported to have taken control of the airport in the Malian town of Kidal yesterday, effectively ending almost eight months of jihadist control of the north of the country.

The fall of Kidal, coming after Gao and Timbuktu earlier this week, has forced Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists out of the three major northern towns and restricted their operations.

Exclusive Analysis terrorism expert Richard Jackson said: “[The rebels] are not only losing territorial control but also leaving behind high-value weapons and ammunition.

“Loss of territorial control for the jihadists and continued military operations in the north would mean a reduction in their revenue from contraband.”

Jackson says that business in the region should remain on high alert, however.

“Jhadists are very likely to infiltrate refugee camps and local communities as well as lie low in inhospitable places like the Wagadou forest in Mali, the Ifoghas mountains and remote border towns in southern Mauritania, northern Niger, northern Burkina Faso and Chad to regroup and begin IED attacks against military targets in Mali,” he said.

“In the six-month outlook, risks of kidnaps and targeted killings will be high for expatriates in the mining, energy and construction sectors operating in these countries as well as southern and eastern Algeria, eastern Senegal and northern Guinea.”