Battle of Garn-Akassa
| Battle of Garn-Akassa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Insurgency in the Sahel | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mali |
 AQIM | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 16–26 killed | ||||||
On June 16, 2009, Malian forces clashed with jihadists from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in Garn-Akassa, Kidal Region, Mali.
Background
In the late 2000s, jihadists from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb had an extensive network of bases in the Adrar des Ifoghas of rural Kidal Region. Mali. Two weeks before the battle in Garn-Akassa, AQIM the English hostage Edwin Dyer, sparking international condemnation.[1] A week later, AQIM assassinated the Malian colonel Lamana Ould Bou at his home in Timbuktu. Bou was considered AQIM's highest-priority target, as he had helped release several European hostages and contributed to the arrests of several high-ranking jihadist leaders.[2]
Battle
The offensive against the jihadists in Garn-Akassa was the first major military operation conducted by Mali since the beginning of the AQIM insurgency in 2005.[3] While little is known about what occurred, the offensive took place in and around the locality of Garn-Akassa, west of Tessalit and on the border with Algeria and Mali.[4] A Malian security source stated that "when [they] took possession of the Islamist base, we counted 26 enemies killed. Some were even buried in a mass grave by the Salafists who fled."[5][6] One source told AFP that it was "certain that Malians have taken control of a perimeter hitherto considered a zone of action of the jihadists. The reports reaching us show 16 deaths."[5] The Malian army stated there were no losses within their ranks.[7]
References
- ^ Weaver, Matthew (2009-06-03). "British hostage Edwin Dyer 'killed by al-Qaida'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ "Mort du lieutenant-colonel Lamana Ould Mohamed Yehia Ould Bou : ACCROCHAGE ENTRE L'ARMEE ET LES ASSASSINS - Malijet - L actualité malienne au quotidien - Mali - Infos Sports News Meteo Journal Jeux". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ "RFI - Dispositif renforcé contre al-Qaïda". www1.rfi.fr. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ "[CHRONOLOGIE Juin-juillet 2009]". Diplomatie (40): 6–7. 2009. ISSN 1761-0559. JSTOR 26981309.
- ^ a b "Mali: 16 à 26 membres d'al-Qaida tués". Le Figaro (in French). 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ "Repaire d'islamistes attaqué". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). 2009-06-17. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
- ^ "Les Afriques | Mali : L'armée s'accroche avec des éléments d'Al-Qaïda | le journal de la finance Africaine". archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-29.