Mali says about 30 soldiers died retaking northern town
Army chief Gen. Jean Elysee Dao said about 60 more troops were wounded in the battle for Anefis after rebels seized the town on July 4.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
2 min read
Mali’s army chief said about 30 soldiers were killed during an operation to recapture Anefis, a northern town taken by rebel forces earlier this month. The battle followed a wave of coordinated attacks on army positions across Mali, underscoring the pressure on the military-run government.
Gen. Jean Elysee Dao told state television that roughly 30 troops died and about 60 others were wounded, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. He said some of the wounded were in serious condition.
The army said Friday it had regained control of Anefis after nearly a week of fighting. The town lies about 100km, or 62 miles, from Kidal, a rebel-held city in northern Mali.
Tuareg separatists and fighters from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an armed group linked to al-Qaeda, captured Anefis on July 4, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. The seizure came during simultaneous attacks on military sites around the country.
Rebels report losses
Dao’s casualty statement came a day after the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, known as the FLA, said it had lost some of its leading fighters in the battle. The group said it fought Mali’s army and allied Russian paramilitaries during the confrontation, according to Al Jazeera and AFP.
The FLA also claimed it had caused severe losses among its opponents in the region. The Malian army’s figures gave one of the clearest official accounts of its own losses in the operation.
Mali has faced a security, political and humanitarian crisis for more than 10 years. The country is governed by military authorities and continues to fight armed groups across large areas of the north and center.
Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin controls broad stretches of rural territory, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The FLA is seeking an independent state in northern Mali.
The two armed movements have often been opposed to each other, but Al Jazeera and AFP reported that their fighters, or predecessor groups, have at times cooperated against shared enemies. Those enemies include Mali’s government and its allies.
Earlier attacks across Mali
The July fighting followed another series of coordinated attacks in late April, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Those attacks targeted sites across Mali and killed Defence Minister Sadio Camara.
After the April attacks, fighters declared a siege on Bamako, the capital, Al Jazeera and AFP reported. The latest battle over Anefis shows the conflict remains active in the north, where control of towns near Kidal continues to be contested.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.