Mali separatists say killed 84 Russian-led fighters, 47 soldiers

DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — Separatist rebels in northern Mali said Thursday they killed 84 fighters from Russian mercenary group Wagner and 47 government troops in combat near the Algerian border between 25 and 27 July.

The Tuareg-led separatists said about 30 other troops or fighters, either “dead or seriously injured,” in fighting at a military camp at Tinzaouatene were airlifted to Kidal, a key northern city.

The Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA) alliance said there were also some charred bodies inside armored vehicles and transport trucks.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen also claimed they had attacked a Malian army convoy and allies from Wagner south of Tinzaouatene.

Agence France-Presse could not corroborate the figures from independent sources. The army and the Wagner group had admitted heavy losses in the region.

The CSP-DPA said it had seized five armored vehicles, five pick up trucks and several arms.

The Malian army on Monday admitted it had suffered a “large number” of deaths during fighting in the north last week.

The West African nation’s military leaders who seized power in a 2020 coup have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadist forces linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.