The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), the main Tuareg insurgent group active in northern Mali, has reported that an ambush carried out last Saturday against government forces has resulted in the deaths of numerous Malian soldiers and Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps, allies of the military junta that controls the country. The attack occurred near the unstable locality of Anéfis, in northeastern Mali.
The Malian Army has acknowledged the incident in an initial official statement, in which it places the ambush near Tabrichat. In its version, the Armed Forces claim that they managed to repel the assault thanks to air support. However, military sources cited by local media, and in turn reported by the DPA agency, have indicated anonymously that the joint offensive by the Tuaregs and jihadist fighters would have resulted in the deaths of 50 military personnel and the capture of another 24.
According to a statement circulated on social media, the FLA details that the operation was directed against a military convoy traveling from Aguelhoc and Anéfis towards the strategic city of Gao.
The Tuareg movement has specified that, in this action, it once again had the support of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), the Al Qaeda branch in the Sahel, a cooperation that has been maintained since the lightning offensive launched jointly last April, which put the military authorities of Bamako in serious trouble.
In its note, the FLA states that the attack has left "dozens of dead and wounded," in addition to several prisoners and the destruction of "a significant amount of military equipment, while several vehicles and armored vehicles were captured in good condition." The insurgent group also emphasizes that it will continue its armed operations until achieving the "total liberation of Azawad," the historical territory claimed by the Tuaregs.