Tuareg Islamists in Mali smashed a convoy of PMCs Wagner, dozens of dead
A convoy of PMCs Wagner was ambushed by Tuaregs in Mali and was defeated. According to unconfirmed reports, from 20 to 50 people could have died, and there are also prisoners. Among the dead was the author of the popular Telegram channel Grey Zone.
A convoy of Wagner PMCs fighters was ambushed by Tuaregs in Mali. According to media resources and military commanders associated with the Wagnerians, from 20 to 50 people were killed. Among the dead was the author of the famous Telegram channel Grey Zone (540 thousand subscribers).
The Tuaregs are a militant African tribe that has been fighting for the creation of an independent state for more than a century. The French divided their territories between their colonies: Mali, Niger, Morocco and Algeria. The tribe is trying to achieve its statehood. The armed conflict between the Malian authorities and extremist and separatist groups began in 2012. Since then, the country has been in a state of crisis, primarily in the field of security and socio-economic development.
There are also radical Islamists among the Tuaregs. The jihadist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the attack on the Wagner PMCs convoy, which has been operating on the side of government forces since 2021, Baza reports.
The video, which was distributed by the Tuaregs, shows damaged combat vehicles, dozens of corpses and prisoners.
The defeat of the convoy is also reported by AFP, citing a representative of the Tuareg separatists. A former employee of the UN mission in Kidal in northern Mali told the agency that 15 Wagnerians were killed or captured after a three-day battle. Mossa Ag Inzoma, a member of the Tuareg separatist movement, told AFP that we are talking about "many dozens" of mercenaries killed and captured by the Russian PMCs.
Among the dead was the author of the Telegram channel Grey Zone with the call sign "White" (according to the pro-war Telegram channels, this is Nikita Fedyanin, a 31-year-old native of the Lipetsk region, he is associated with the FSB). Messages in his channel have not appeared since July 23. His photo appeared on Telegram for the first time.
Image source: Telegram
In addition to Fedyanin, the famous Wagner commander Anton Elizarov (Lotus), who led the offensive on Soledar and Bakhmut, could have died in Mali. However, according to military expert Boris Rozhin, the Lotus was captured.
"The militants attacked under the cover of a sandstorm, achieving tactical surprise. Also, a significant number of government soldiers and several Wagner fighters were captured. The notorious Lotus was among the prisoners, but it has already been exchanged back," Rozhin shared.
Journalist Anastasia Kashevarova reported on her Telegram channel that the Hero of Russia was involved in the death of the Wagner PMCs convoy in Mali.
"This fatality has a first and last name, and a well-known call sign, and even a Hero of Russia star. We have fatal mistakes everywhere," Kashevarova shared.
Political scientist Igor Dmitriev said that the operation was carried out in the desert in northern Mali. According to him, usually in such cases the Tuaregs leave for Algeria, but this time they were blocked by aviation, which, however, could not act effectively due to a sandstorm. The Tuaregs took advantage of the situation, cut off one of the columns and counterattacked.
Currently, units of the Malian Armed Forces are engaged in "fierce battles" with terrorist detachments in the Tinzawaten area (northeast of the country, on the border with Algeria). This is stated in a communique released by the General Staff. According to TASS, the document notes that the area where the clashes are taking place "remains a bastion of concentration of terrorists and smugglers of all stripes."
On July 25, armed militants attacked a patrol of government troops in the Tinzahuaten area. According to the Malian authorities, two Malian army soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured. The security forces eliminated about 20 militants.
The Tuaregs responded by saying that in two days of fighting near the Algerian border, they had killed and wounded dozens of Wagner soldiers and mercenaries.
Dmitry Shumov
