Battle of the Wagadou Forest (2019)

Last updated
Battle of the Wagadou Forest (2019)
Part of the Mali War
DateDecember 20–21, 2019
Location 15°18′6″N7°28′9″W / 15.30167°N 7.46917°W / 15.30167; -7.46917
Result French victory
Belligerents
Flag of France.svg France Islamic State flag.svg Katibat Macina
Casualties and losses
None 40 killed
4 trucks captured
4 motorcycles captured

Between December 20 and 21, 2019, French forces under Operation Barkhane launched an attack on Katibat Macina fighters in rural parts of the Wagadou forest near Wagadou, Mali.

Contents

Attack

After having obtained information regarding the location of the militants in the days prior to the attack, French forces launched an operation on the night of December 20 and 21 to clear out a Katiba Macina camp. [1] [2] A helicopter assault with the aid of an MQ-9 Reaper was carried out against a camp in the densely wooded area, and then backed up by several dozen ground forces with helicopters for air defense. [1] [2] Clashes ended on the morning of December 21. [1] [2]

Clashes broke out again on December 21, when a group of commandos were ambushed by Katiba Macina militants while cleaning up the combat area. [3] [4] Two aircraft, a Reaper and a Mirage 2000, then struck the attackers. [3] [4] This was the first drone strike carried out by French forces. [5]

Aftermath

French president Emmanuel Macron stated that 33 jihadists were "neutralized" during the operation and one more had been captured, while two Malian gendarmes had been freed. [6] [7] Four pick-ups, including one equipped with an anti-aircraft gun, four motorcycles, and weaponry were seized. [2] [1]

In a second press release, the French Armed Forces announced seven more jihadists were killed, bringing the total to 40. [8] [9]

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<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.

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On October 28, 2015, a battle broke out in Tiébanda, Mali, between Katiba Macina militants and Malian forces.

On August 7, 2015, jihadists from Al-Mourabitoun and Katiba Macina attacked the Byblos Hotel in Sévaré, Mali. The attack was one of the largest attacks against civilians in Mopti Region during the Mali War, and led to the deaths of thirteen people, including five civilians.

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On January 22, 2020, six Malian soldiers were killed in an ambush by unknown jihadists in Dioungani, Mopti Region, Mali.

On June 24, 2011, Malian and Mauritanian forces launched an offensive into the Wagadou Forest, an area on the Malian-Mauritanian border known as a hideout for Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. While the joint forces were able to destroy the camp, some jihadists escaped.

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The 2018 Inata attack occurred between October 3 and 4, 2018, when suspected militants from Ansarul Islam attacked the gold mines near Inata, Burkina Faso, but were repulsed by Burkinabe forces.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 www.defense.gouv.fr https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/barkhane/breves/barkhane-neutralisation-d-un-important-groupe-arme-terroriste-dans-la-region-de-mopti . Retrieved 2023-04-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 4 archive.wikiwix.com https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/barkhane/breves/barkhane-neutralisation-d-un-important-groupe-arme-terroriste-dans-la-region-de-mopti . Retrieved 2023-04-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 1 2 www.defense.gouv.fr https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/barkhane/breves/barkhane-poursuite-de-l-action-dans-la-region-de-mopti . Retrieved 2023-04-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 1 2 archive.wikiwix.com https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/operations/barkhane/breves/barkhane-poursuite-de-l-action-dans-la-region-de-mopti#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url . Retrieved 2023-04-14.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. "L'armée française tue 33 combattants terroristes au Mali". Challenges (in French). Reuters. 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  6. magazine, Le Point (2019-12-21). "Côte d'Ivoire : Macron annonce 33 terroristes " neutralisés " au Mali". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  7. "Mali: 33 terroristes neutralisés dans la région de Mopti par la force Barkhane". RFI (in French). 2019-12-21. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  8. "33+7: 40 membres d'un GAT tués au Mali par Barkhane". lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  9. magazine, Le Point (2019-12-23). "Mali: première frappe d'un drone français en opération". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-14.