On November 18, 2019, Malian troops were ambushed by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara during a patrol of Tabankort, in Ménaka Cercle, Mali.
| Battle of Tabankort | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mali |
 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~150 |
Unknown
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
43 killed (per Mali and Niger) 30 killed (per ISGS) 30 injured (per ISGS) |
17 killed (per Mali) 100 apprehended (per Mali) | ||||||
Attack
editWhile attempting to meet up with a contingent of Nigerien troops as part of Operation Tongo-Tongo, a reprisal operation for an ambush that left several American and Nigerian soldiers dead, a group of jihadists ambushed and overpowered a group of Malian soldiers.[1][2] The jihadists rode on seven vehicles, several motorcycles, and two tuk-tuks stolen from a local medical center, and posed as vaccination staff members to conduct the attack.[3][4]
Once the jihadists' disguises were exposed, a battle ensued between ISGS and the Malian troops.[5][6] Around one hundred fifty Malian soldiers fought, with thirteen vehicles.[6] They were forced to pull back, and the group of 850 Nigerien soldiers began a combing operation in the Tabankort valley, bringing back the bodies of slain Malian soldiers.[6]
Aftermath
editISGS claimed responsibility for the attack on November 20.[7][8] They also claimed that 30 Malian soldiers were killed, and thirty more were injured.[8]
The Malian army claimed on November 18 that the death toll was 24 soldiers killed and 29 injured, while seventeen jihadists were killed and over a hundred apprehended.[9] An AFP source then claimed the next day that the Malian death toll was over thirty killed.[9] The bodies of the 30 soldiers killed were interred during a military ceremony in Gao on November 20.[10] However, the bodies of thirteen other soldiers were discovered on November 21, bringing the death toll to 43 killed.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Mali: 24 soldats tués lors d'une attaque au sud de Ménaka". RFI (in French). 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Accrochage à la frontière Mali-Niger: 7 soldats maliens tués lors d'une opération conjointe". lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Mali: les blessés sont la priorité de l'armée après la nouvelle attaque au Nord". RFI (in French). 2019-11-19. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ Forestier, Patrick (2019-11-19). "Mali : une nouvelle attaque meurtrière qui interroge". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Attaque jihadiste près de Menaka: le Niger aide le Mali à secourir ses soldats". RFI (in French). 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b c "Attaque jihadiste près de Menaka: le Niger aide le Mali à secourir ses soldats". RFI (in French). 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "@SimNasr". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ a b Nimaga, Moussa (November 21, 2019). "Mali : Tabankort : L'État Islamique revendique l'embuscade contre l'armée malienne". Maliactu. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Au Mali, une attaque jihadiste fait 24 morts dans les rangs de l'armée". France 24 (in French). 2019-11-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Malijet 1ère Région Militaire (GAO) : Hommage aux militaires tombés à Tabankort Bamako Mali". malijet.com. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
- ^ "Au Mali, les corps de 13 soldats découverts après une attaque jihadiste". France 24 (in French). 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2023-04-18.