Battle of the Serma Forest
Part of Mali War
Date January 4–9, 2019 Location Serma Forest, Boni, Mali 14°51′39″N 2°16′4″W / 14.86083°N 2.26778°W / 14.86083; -2.26778 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Katibat Macina
Casualties and losses
None	15 killed 5 captured

The battle of the Serma Forest took place between January 4 and 9, 2019, led by French troops in Operation Barkhane against Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.

At the beginning of 2019, French forces conducted several small operations in the Serma Forest, near Boni, in the Douentza Cercle.^[1][2] These operations were carried out by the (GTD) Picarde group in concordance with another French group and the Malian Army (FAMa).^[3] The main target was Katibat Macina, the central Malian front of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.^[4]

The operation began on the night between January 4 and 5, after French helicopters backed by airstrikes attacked JNIM hideouts in the Serma forest.^[1] In one of the airstrikes, several JNIM fighters were killed.^[3] Days later, French commandos attacked the forest on the ground, discovering a training area and a logistics base. Several vehicles and caches of ammunition were seized.^[3]

The French army later stated that around twenty jihadists were rendered combat-ineffective from the battle.^[2][3] Of those, fifteen were killed in the battle, and five were captured.^[5]