Battle of Tinzaouaten
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| Battle of Tinzaouaten | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion | |||||||
  Tinzaouaten Battle of Tinzaouaten (Mali) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ansar Dine | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50 | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed 10 captured 37 defected | 1 killed | ||||||
On February 8, 2012,[1] rebels from the separatist Movement for the National Liberation of Azawad[2] attacked a military outpost in Tinzaouaten located on the Algerian borderline. The battle led to the capture of the city by rebel forces of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. A Malian government statement was released the following day declaring a "strategic withdrawal" from its base in Tinzaouaten.[3] A Malian soldier was killed.[4] Ten were captured and 37 defected and were retrieved by Algerian authorities.
The battle[edit]
On February 7, 2012, the city of Tinzawatene was attacked by the rebels. Malian forces managed to repel the initial attack after several hours of combat, but the city was captured by the rebels the next day. According to MNLA spokesman Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, the separatists took control of two military camps in the city and took several military vehicles. The Malian army withdrew the garrison to Algeria, but denied defeat by referring to the move as a "strategic retreat". On March 20, Ansar Dine also claimed to have control of Tinzawatene.[5][6]
Aftermath[edit]
According to the report released by the MNLA, more than 34 Malian soldiers fled to Algeria, 5 were wounded, 10 taken prisoner (including an officer), against a single wounded soldier on their side. The separatists also claimed to have captured several vehicles. Spokesman Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, however, mentions both dead and injured in the ranks of the MNLA. According to an unnamed official Malian source, there was no fighting or loss of life as the army decided to abandon the isolated positions for tactical reasons. However, according to Reuters, the Malian government indicates in a statement on February 8 that one soldier was killed and two others wounded.[7][8][9][10]
References[edit]
 | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. (November 2014) |
- ^ name="Border"
- ^ "Home". BBC News. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ "Malian rebels seize key border town, more displaced". Reuters. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ name="Tinzawatene"
- ^ "Les rebelles touareg poursuivent leur offensive dans le Nord". 9 February 2012.
- ^ "Le mouvement islamiste armé touareg affirme contrôler le nord-est du Mali". Le Monde.fr. 20 March 2012.
- ^ "La localité de Tinzawaten est libre". www.mnlamov.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Mali : Les rebelles du MNLA contrôlent une localité dans le Nord". 9 February 2012.
- ^ "UPDATE 1-Malian rebels seize key border town, civilians flee". Reuters. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018.
- ^ "Bilan des hostilités à Tinzawaten". www.mnlamov.net. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
13°43′00″N 5°56′00″W / 13.7167°N 5.9333°W
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