Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has intensified attacks across Burkina Faso and Mali, targeting military and civilian defense positions. In Burkina Faso, JNIM claimed multiple assaults resulting in the deaths of at least 28 soldiers and VDP militia members, including 20 killed in Youba and additional fatalities in Moussokantou, Nagare, Komboari, Reno, and other locations. The group seized a variety of weapons and equipment, including machine guns, assault rifles, RPGs, Kalashnikovs, motorcycles, and a drone. JNIM also reportedly ambushed military patrols and attacked VDP positions in several areas such as Reko, Sassou, and Douma. In Mali, JNIM claimed responsibility for several attacks involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) against vehicles belonging to the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) and the Russian private military contractor Africa Corps, resulting in vehicle destruction and casualties. The group released video footage of a large attack on a military camp in the Gourma province of Burkina Faso and issued numerous statements claiming 22 attacks targeting Malian, Burkinabe, and Nigerien forces, as well as Russian contractors. Meanwhile, Islamic State Sahel Province (IS-SP) militants attacked a JNIM position in Nakou, Burkina Faso, killing one fighter and capturing weapons and motorcycles. IS-SP militants also reportedly killed 19 people in Niger’s Tillaberi region. Additionally, the president of the Muslim community in Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso, Ali Tandamba, was kidnapped, with suspicions pointing towards JNIM involvement. In Somalia, the National Army’s elite Gorgor Commandos conducted security operations in Lower Shabelle, destroying roadside IEDs planted by Al-Shabaab. Over three days, Somali forces, in coordination with international partners, killed 11 Al-Shabaab militants, including a senior commander, and destroyed vehicles and weapons caches in several regions, foiling planned attacks.