The Russian mercenary group "Wagner" reported today that its fighters and Malian government forces have suffered losses in heavy fighting against Tuareg rebels in the Mali-Algeria border region, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Mali, where the military took power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has been battling Islamist rebels for years. Local authorities claim that the Russian forces there are not mercenaries of the private military company (PMC) Wagner, but military instructors who are helping the local army train to use Russian-bought military equipment.
The rebel group "Permanent Strategic Structure for Peace, Security and Development" (PSS-MSR) reported on Saturday that it had captured combat vehicles, trucks and tanks in fighting near the border town of Tinzawatten.
In a rare statement of its kind PMC "Wagner" reported that its fighters fought alongside Malian government forces from July 22 to 27 near Tinzahuaten, commanded by Serhiy Shevchenko, with the call sign "Vir".
"During the first day, the group of "Vir" has destroyed most of the Islamists and drawn the rest into battle," wrote PMC "Wagner" in Telegram and added: "However, the subsequent desert storm has allowed the militants to regroup and increase their numbers to 1,000 fighters.
"Wagner" adds that its fighters again repelled the attack, but under massive fire from the rebels they suffered losses along with the government troops.
The last message of PMC "Wagner" is dated July 27 and reads: "Three of us left. We keep fighting.'' The mercenary group indicated that Shevchenko was killed in battle.
The Malian army said in statements over the weekend that two of its soldiers had been killed and 10 wounded. She added that one of her helicopters crashed on Friday in Kidal during a routine mission, but there were no casualties in the incident.