Between March 15 and 16, 2021, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara fighters clashed with Malian and French troops over control of a Malian military base near the town of Tessit, with ISGS jihadists overrunning the coalition.
| Battle of Tessit (2021) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mali France |
 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
33 dead 14 injured | 20 dead (per Mali) | ||||||
Battle
editThe attack on the military base began around midday on March 15, and was carried out by around 100 fighters on motorcycles and pickups.[1] A convoy of Malian vehicles and soldiers planned to depart the base towards Ansongo when the attack was carried out, the surprise of which splintered the Malian troops into two convoys.[2]
Following the news of the attack, two helicopters from Operation Barkhane departed towards the base, although the jihadists dispersed whenever the French forces arrived.[3][1] The Islamic State had effectively destroyed the base, seen in photos published by ISGS on March 24.[4]
Aftermath
editThe day after the attack on the military base, Barkhane forces carried out airstrikes on ISGS positions.[1] On March 17, the Malian government stated 33 soldiers were killed and 17 were injured, and the bodies of twenty jihadists were discovered near the ruins of the base.[5][1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Mali : Daech revendique l'attaque qui a tué 33 soldats le 15 mars". L'Obs (in French). 2021-03-21. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ "Mali: une attaque jihadiste vise l'armée dans la zone des "trois frontières"". RFI (in French). 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ "Mali : plus de 30 soldats tués dans une attaque attribuée à des djihadistes". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2021-03-17. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ "(Photos) Islamic State Greater Sahara (ISGS) Solidifies Wilayah Sahel, With Photo Set Of Armed Assault and Arson on Military Base in Tessit, Gao, Mali - 24 March 2022". TRAC. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
- ^ "Gao : Plus de 30 militaires tués dans une attaque attribuée à l'EIGS". kibaru.ml (in French). Retrieved 2023-02-01.