Former Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group and Malian government forces suffered a significant setback in recent days following a series of clashes with Tuareg belonging to the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA). In what appears to have been an ambush on the outskirts of the village of Tinzawatène, a locality in northern Mali near the Algerian border, the separatist forces inflicted severe losses on the Russian and Malian troops.
According to a spokesperson for the CSP-DPA, “…after two days of intense fighting on the outskirts of the village of Tinzawatène, a unit tasked with defending unarmed civilians defeated the entire column of the Malian army and the Wagner Russian mercenaries who abandoned Kidal…”
“…Without being exhaustive, the CSP-DPA announces that the enemy has suffered enormous losses in human lives and material, including: dozens of dead and wounded; destroyed armored vehicles and others recovered in good condition; trucks and tankers and other war materials recovered by our forces; a helicopter damaged in combat crashed in Kidal…” added the CSP-DPA statement.
Images and videos that went viral on social media show the severe losses suffered among the ranks of the self-proclaimed “Africa Corps” Russian mercenaries and government forces. Although no precise figures were provided, casualties are estimated to be in the dozens, among the dead and wounded. CSP-DPA troops also mentioned taking several prisoners. Unofficially, there are reports of up to 80 Russian and Malian casualties. For its part, the Malian government only acknowledged 2 soldiers dead and 10 wounded, claiming to have killed about twenty rebels.
According to details revealed by the CSP-DPA, the fighting started about 60 kilometers south of Tinzawatène, after the convoy of Russian and Malian troops was ambushed. This action led to the column of mercenaries and local soldiers scattering, resulting in several separate clashes. The results were overwhelming.
Due to the graphic nature, we will not share videos obtained after the battle. However, some images allow a brief analysis of the destroyed or captured material. The photos show Chinese Norinco VP11 wheeled armored vehicles and South African OTT Puma M36 (donated by Germany), some of them burnt out and others captured. Also seen are 4×4 KIA KM450 trucks and support vehicles, including a tanker truck.
Since their arrival in Mali a couple of years ago, this is one of the most severe losses for the Russian mercenaries. Their presence in the country has not gone unnoticed, first for having replaced French and Western forces that were deployed until a few years ago; second, because the mercenaries from the former Wagner group were involved in several atrocities after carrying out indiscriminate killings of civilians.
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