On June 24, 2011, Malian and Mauritanian forces launched an offensive into the Wagadou Forest, an area on the Malian-Mauritanian border known as a hideout for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. While the joint forces were able to destroy the camp, some jihadists escaped.
| Battle of the Wagadou Forest (2011) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Insurgency in the Sahel | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
.svg){kind=small} Mauritania Mali |
 AQIM | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
2 killed, 5 injured (per Mauritania) 20 killed (per AQIM) Unknown |
15 killed, several dozen injured, 11 captured (per Mauritania) 2 missing (per AQIM) | ||||||
Background
editThe Wagadou Forest in northern Mali was a hub for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) during the early 2010s and late 2000s, and the group launched multiple raids against Malian and Mauritanian forces from the forest between 2005 and 2011.[1][2] The killing of al-Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden in Pakistan by American forces in May 2011 emboldened the Mauritanian and Malian governments to launch an offensive that would defeat al-Qaeda's affiliate AQIM.[2]
Battle
editMalian and Mauritanian forces launched the joint offensive at 5:45pm into the forest.[3][4] AQIM jihadists were protected by deep trench networks and antipersonnel mines surrounding their base in the forest.[5][6] Mauritanian special intervention groups, created to fight jihadist incursions, were powered by ultralight aviation.[7] A Malian commander on the ground stated that fighting was "very fierce."[4] While Malian and Mauritanian forces were able to destroy the AQIM base, combing operations continued in the days following the battle for jihadists that had fled.[8]
The Mauritanian Army released a statement announcing the deaths of two soldiers and seven injured, and that fifteen jihadists had been killed. The statement also claimed the injuries of several dozen jihadists, and that eleven more were captured by the Malian Army.[6] AQIM claimed only fifteen of their fighters were present during the battle, and claimed the deaths of twenty Mauritanian soldiers and destruction of twelve vehicles.[9] They also claimed that they had "no news" from two of their fighters.[9]
References
edit- ^ archive.wikiwix.com https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http://www.rmibiladi.com/fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1628:la-bataille-de-wagadou-est-elle-vraiment-finie-&catid=1:actualites&Itemid=2#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b "Mauritania, Mali Military Attack Al-Qaida Base in Sahel". Voice of America. 2011-06-26. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Terrorisme: guerre ouverte entre la Mauritanie et Aqmi". Post-Afriques (in French). Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ a b "Mauritanian army destroys al Qaeda camp in Mali". France 24. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Plusieurs morts dans un raid de la Mauritanie contre Aqmi au Mali". archive.wikiwix.com. 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ a b "Armée Nationale Mauritanienne - Lutte antiterroriste". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ Faujas, Alain (November 15, 2017). "Mauritanie : la renaissance d'une armée". Jeune Afrique. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ "Mauritania 'destroys al-Qaeda camp' in Mali". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ a b "AQMI donne son bilan des derniers affrontements avec l'armée mauritanienne - Afriquinfos". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.