Malian rebels announced “impressive victory“ over the Malian army and its Russian allies after three days of intense fighting in Tinzahuaten, in the northern part of the country, near the Algerian border, AFP reported, quoted by BTA.
„Our forces finally destroyed the enemy columns yesterday. A large amount of war machines and armaments were captured or damaged. The few survivors from the ranks of the Famas (government army - note ed.) and the (Russian) militia "Wagner" were taken captive,” said a statement signed by Mohamed Elmaulud Ramadan, spokesman for the Tuareg-dominated alliance of armed rebel groups.
On Thursday, fighting broke out between the army and the rebels in the area of Tinzahuaten on a scale not seen in months, according to AFP.
On the side of the rebel forces, seven soldiers were killed and 12 wounded, the statement said.
„We are proud of this victory won by our men,", the statement added.
Casualties by the Malian armed forces and their Russian allies are unclear, but a rebel spokesman sent AFP several videos showing scores of corpses of government soldiers.
In some of the videos, white soldiers are also seen among the captives. The Malian army rarely reports its losses, AFP points out.
The junta, which has been in power in Mali since 2020, has made recapturing rebel-held territory one of its priorities.
Since 2023, the armed rebel groups have lost their control over several settlements in the northern part of the country after the offensive of the Malian army, which ended with the capture of Kidal, a stronghold of the rebels.