| Battle of Tinzaouaten | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Tuareg rebellion (2012) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ansar Dine | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 50 | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
1 killed 10 captured 37 defected | 1 killed | ||||||||
  Location within Mali | |||||||||
On 8 February 2012, rebel forces from the separatist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) attacked a military outpost in Tinzaouaten located near the Algeria–Mali border. The battle led to the capture of the town by MNLA rebels. A Malian government statement was released the following day declaring a "strategic retreat" from its base in Tinzaouaten.[1] A Malian soldier was killed. Ten were captured and 37 defected and were retrieved by Algerian authorities.
Battle
[edit]On 7 February 2012, the town of Tinzaouaten was attacked by the rebels. Malian forces managed to repel the initial attack after several hours of combat, but the town was captured by the rebels the next day. According to MNLA spokesman Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, the separatists took control of two military camps in the town and took several military vehicles. The Malian Army withdrew the garrison to Algeria, but denied defeat by referring to the move as a "strategic retreat". On 20 March, Ansar Dine also claimed to have control of Tinzaouaten.[2][3]
Aftermath
[edit]According to the report released by the MNLA, more than 34 Malian soldiers fled to Algeria, 5 were wounded, 10 taken prisoner (including an officer), against a single wounded soldier on their side. The separatists also claimed to have captured several vehicles. Spokesman Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, however, mentions both dead and injured in the ranks of the MNLA. According to an unnamed official Malian source, there was no fighting or loss of life as the army decided to abandon the isolated positions for tactical reasons. However, according to Reuters, the Malian government indicates in a statement on 8 February that one soldier was killed and two others wounded.[4][5][6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Malian rebels seize key border town, more displaced". Reuters. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Les rebelles touareg poursuivent leur offensive dans le Nord". France 24 (in French). 9 February 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Le mouvement islamiste armé touareg affirme contrôler le nord-est du Mali". Le Monde Afrique (in French). 20 March 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "La localité de Tinzawaten est libre". MNLAmov.net (in French). 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Mali : Les rebelles du MNLA contrôlent une localité dans le Nord". Radio France Internationale (in French). 9 February 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ Diallo, Tiemoko; Diarra, Adama (9 February 2012). "Malian rebels seize key border town, civilians flee". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ "Bilan des hostilités à Tinzawaten". MNLAmov.net (in French). 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2023.