Battle of Talataye (2022)

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Battle of Talataye (2022)
Part of Mali War
Date6–7 September 2022
Location
Talataye, Mali
Result ISGS victory
Belligerents

Flag of the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad.svg Movement for the Salvation of Azawad

Flag of Jihad.svg Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin 		AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Islamic State in the Greater Sahara
Commanders and leaders
Unknown "Hicham" [1]
Strength
Unknown Several hundred [1]
Casualties and losses

60+ (per IS)

17+ (per ACLED)
4 (per MSA)		 Unknown
30–45+ civilians killed (per local officials)

The Battle of Talataye took place between 6 and 7 September 2022 during the Menaka offensives of the Mali War. During the battle, militants from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara stormed Talataye, Mali, looting and burning the town. The following day, ISGS abandoned Talataye.

Contents

Background

In March 2022, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) militants launched an offensive in the Ménaka Region in eastern Mali, which was then predominantly defended by government-aligned Tuareg rebels under Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA). [2] The jihadists quickly took control of Andéramboukane and other villages in the region. These captures were accompanied by massacres, with 300 to 700 Tuareg civilians being killed between March and August 2022. The uptick in violence caused 50,000 civilians to flee to the regional capital of Ménaka. [3] [2]

Talataye had 13,000 inhabitants in 2009, although many had fled due to violence from the war in the years after. [4] Throughout March 2022, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) affiliated with al-Qaeda took up positions south and west of Talataye in preparation for fighting inside the town. [2] Prior to the battle, JNIM and the MSA signed an agreement of mutual defense against ISGS if they attacked the town. [5]

Battle

The Islamic State attacked Talataye in the afternoon of September 6, at 3:00pm local time. [6] [7] The western half of the city was occupied by JNIM, with the rest being occupied by MSA in smaller numbers. [4] [3] ISGS, under leadership of a man called "Hicham", launched an assault with several hundred men on motorcycles against both sides of the city. [7] The offensive was conducted on several axes, with the first assaults coming from the south and east, and later attacking the north. [3]

After three to four hours of fighting, Talataye fell under Islamic State control. Shops belonging to members of the Douassak ethnic group were looted, homes were set ablaze, and the town marketplace was burned down. [3] [8] Civilians who were unable to flee were massacred by ISGS, under the pretense of suspected collaboration. [3] [4]

The Malian government stated in a press release that it had conducted "offensive reconnaissance" with its air force during the battle. Journalist Wassim Nasr  [ fr ] stated that while airstrikes occurred, they were likely ineffective as ISGS had already moved positions. [9] This claim was disputed by Le Monde, who stated that airstrikes did not occur, citing local sources. [10] The next day, ISGS fighters withdrew from Talataye presuming a counterattack, and JNIM-MSA forces regained control of the town. [3] [4]

Losses and aftermath

RFI claimed that losses for both ISGS and JNIM would be "numerous", although the MSA stated only four soldiers were killed by ISGS. [3]

Several dozen civilians were killed in the fighting. [3] [8] A local elected official in Talataye reported the deaths of at least 45 inhabitants, while an MSA official claimed 30 civilians were killed, including children. [4] [3] ACLED reported the deaths of at least 30 civilians, 17 ISGS militants, and 3 Tuareg militiamen from the MSA. [10] ACLED also stated that 900 civilians had been killed in the surrounding area since the ISGS offensives in March. [10] 2,400 civilians fled from Talataye preceding and following the battle. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Sahil Province</span> Islamist militia

The Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP), formerly known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS), is an Islamist militant group adhering to the ideology of Salafi Jihadism. IS-GS was formed on 15 May 2015 as the result of a split within the militant group Al-Mourabitoun. The rift was a reaction to the adherence of one of its leaders, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui, to the Islamic State. From March 2019 to 2022, IS-GS was formally part of the Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP); when it was also called "ISWAP-Greater Sahara". In March 2022, IS declared the province autonomous, separating it from its West Africa Province and naming it Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISSP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movement for the Salvation of Azawad</span> Tuareg political movement

The Movement for the Salvation of Azawad is a Tuareg political movement and armed group in Azawad, Mali. It was founded on 2 September 2016 by Moussa Ag Acharatoumane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amadou Koufa</span>

Amadou Koufa, nom de guerre of Amadou Diallo, also spelled Hamadoun Kouffa or Amadou Kouffa is a Malian Fulani jihadist and preacher who founded Katiba Macina, later part of Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin.

Ba Ag Moussa was a Malian militant and jihadist.

The Battle of Andéramboukane occurred between 4 and 5 June 2022, during the Ménaka offensive of the Mali War. The pro-government militias Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA) attempted to retake the Islamic State-held town of Andéramboukane but were unsuccessful.

Between August 17 to 21, 2021, French forces under Operation Barkhane launched an operation to attack Islamic State in the Greater Sahara bases located in the Dangalous forest near Indelimane village of Mali. The battle killed the commander of ISGS, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi.

Between December 3 and 10, 2022, militants from Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin clashed in eastern Mali, at the river between the towns of Tadjalalt and Haroum.

On November 18, 2019, Malian troops were ambushed by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara during a patrol of Tabankort, in Ménaka Cercle, Mali.

The battle of Abanguilou took place on December 19, 2018, between the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and their French allies against the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).

On January 15, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked two villages in Ménaka, Mali, killing at least 40 people. The massacres were targeted against Tuaregs.

The Ménaka offensive was a series of offensives launched by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara against the Malian Army, Tuareg self-defense groups including the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies (GATIA), and the al-Qaeda-aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. The offensives took place in the Ménaka Cercle, in southeastern Mali.

The battle of Boulikessi took place between September 30 and October 1, 2019. Jihadists from JNIM and Ansarul Islam attacked Malian bases in Boulikessi and Mondoro, killing between 40 and 85 Malian soldiers, making it the deadliest attack for the Malian army since the Second Battle of Kidal in 2014.

Operation Tiésaba-Bourgou was a joint Franco-Malian operation against Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and Ansarul Islam near the Malian, Burkinabe, and Nigerien borders.

On December 11 and 12, 2018, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara fighters attacked Daoussahak Tuareg refugee camps in the villages of Tinabaw, Tabangout and Tissalatatene, all in the Ménaka Cercle of Mali. Between 43 and 47 civilians were killed by ISGS.

The Talataye attack occurred on May 26, 2018, during the Mali War. Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) fighters attacked a festival in Talataye, Mali, killing several civilians and Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) fighters.

The battle of Akabar took place on April 1, 2018, between French and Malian forces aided by Tuareg rebels against Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

On April 26 and 27, 2018, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked two refugee camps near Andéramboukane, Ménaka, Mali, killing forty-seven people, mostly Tuareg civilians.

Between October 6, 2020, and October 22, 2020, Fulani militants from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin's Katiba Macina laid siege to the town of Farabougou, Ségou Region, Mali. The fighting initially began as an intensification of ethnic conflict between Bambara and Fulani militias, and escalated when Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin surrounded the city. As JNIM tightened the siege on the city, residents faced famine and drought. Mediation committees composed of leaders and elders from nearby villages attempted to negotiate the lifting of the siege, but Malian forces liberated it on October 22. Jihadists still held a large presence near the town for weeks to come.

The Kidal offensive was an offensive by the Malian government and Wagner Group mercenaries against the rebel coalition Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD) with the aim of capturing the rebel-held region of Kidal. The offensive was part of a renewed conflict between the Malian junta that took power in 2021 and former Tuareg rebel groups that had signed the Algiers Agreement in 2015, creating a ceasefire and de facto rebel control over the region. The offensive was also an attempt by Malian forces to seize control over MINUSMA camps in Kidal Region after the Malian junta had ordered the mission to leave the country by the end of 2023.

On December 3, 2023, jihadists from the Islamic State – Sahil Province (ISSP) launched simultaneous attacks against Malian forces and allied Wagner Group mercenaries in Labbézanga, Gao Region, and against Tuareg militia groups in Ménaka Region.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mali: les jihadistes de l'EIGS ont pris le contrôle de la ville de Talataye". RFI. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Quelles sont les raisons du retour en puissance de l'EI dans la zone des trois frontières ?. FRANCE 24. 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023– via YouTube.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mali: la bataille de Talataye entre jihadistes empire la détresse des habitants du nord". RFI (in French). 9 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mali : des dizaines de morts civils après l'attaque d'une localité du nord par l'Etat islamique au Grand Sahara". Le Monde.fr (in French). 9 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Au Sahel, qui se bat contre qui ?". www.20minutes.fr (in French). 17 August 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "Mali : les djihadistes de l'État islamique prennent une localité clé après d'âpres combats". Le Figaro. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 "Mali: les jihadistes de l'EIGS ont pris le contrôle de la ville de Talataye". RFI (in French). 7 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Mali: des dizaines de morts civils après l'attaque d'une localité par l'EI". LEFIGARO (in French). 9 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. ↑ Nasr, Wassim [@SimNasr] (13 September 2022). "Les déplacés de #Telataï s'ajoutent aux milliers qui les ont précédé au #Mali https://t.co/VUkq9H9S9o" [The displaced from #Telataï add to the thousands who preceded them in #Mali] (Tweet) (in French). Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023– via Twitter.
  10. 1 2 3 "Au Mali, l'Etat islamique dans le Grand Sahara " en position de suprématie " dans le Nord-Est". Le Monde.fr (in French). 21 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  11. ↑ Mali : près de 1 000 victimes du groupe Etat islamique depuis mars • FRANCE 24. FRANCE 24. 12 September 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023– via YouTube.

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