The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on leaders of Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a branch of al-Qaida operating in Mali. 

JNIM, designated in September 2018 by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks and kidnappings since it was formed in March 2017. It’s led by Iyad ag Ghali, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in February 2013 and is designated by the United Nations; he previously launched Ansar al-Dine (AAD), a Mali-based organization established in 2011 that closely cooperated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).