Inaghalawass skirmish
Part of Mali War
DateFebruary 14, 2018
Location
Inaghalawass, between Boghassa and Tinzaouaten, Mali
Result French victory
Belligerents
France Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Abu Hassan al-Ansari  †
Malick Ag Wanasnat †
Casualties and losses
None 23 killed or captured

The Inaghalawass skirmish took place on February 14, 2018, between French forces and Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin fighters. In French airstrikes, former al-Mourabitoun commander Abu Hassan al-Ansari was killed.

Prelude

In 2017, five jihadist movements that had rebelled against the Malian government in 2012 merged into the al-Qaeda aligned Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), led by Iyad Ag Ghaly. Following the merger, JNIM expanded its influence in Mali between 2017 and 2018, carrying out attacks on Malian troops and French interventionist forces.

Skirmish and aftermath

On the night of February 13 and 14, a battle broke out between French forces and JNIM insurgents in the village of Inaghalawass, on the Malian-Algerian border between Boghassa and Tinzaouaten.[1][2] Between 4:40 and 5:20 am, French fighters mobilized in response to the attack, launching airstrikes on the JNIM positions.[3][2] The attack was carried out by French "Sabre" troops.[2]

Later that day, the French general staff announced that twenty JNIM fighters had been "neutralized", and three of their vehicles were destroyed. François Lecointre gave a slightly more detailed assessment, stating 23 jihadists had been killed or taken prisoner.[4] According to Lecointre, French forces took no losses.[4] A foreign security source for AFP reported between 10 and 17 jihadist deaths, a toll corroborated by Malian security sources, who also stated 14 were apprehended.[5][6]

Among the dead were Malick Ag Wanasnat, a former colonel of the Malian army and a close confidant of Iyad Ag Ghaly.[7] Abdalla Ag Oufata, the former mayor of Boghassa and Sidi Mohamed Ougana, a local preacher, were killed as well.[5]

JNIM announced on March 3, 2018, that Abu Hassan al-Ansari, the founder of al-Mourabitoun and a top leader of JNIM, was killed in the attacks.[8] In response, JNIM carried out the 2018 Ouagadougou attacks. The group also announced the deaths of Sheikh Abu Ahmed al-Fulani and Tariq al-Sufi along with al-Ansari, Oufata, Ougana, and Wanasnat.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Mali: un raid français mené dans le Nord contre des membres d'Ansar Dine". RFI (in French). 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  2. 1 2 3 "Mali: un raid français contre le groupe jihadiste Ansar Dine fait au moins 10 morts". Le Point (in French). 2018-02-14. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  3. ↑ à 13h12, Par Ronan TésorièreLe 17 février 2018 (2018-02-17). "Mali : un raid français neutralise l'un des chefs des djihadistes d'Ansar Dine". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 "Un " coup significatif " porté aux djihadistes par Barkhane". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  5. 1 2 Macé, Célian. "Qui a été tué dans le triple assaut français près de la frontière algérienne ?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  6. ↑ "Au moins dix tués après un raid de Barkhane dans le nord du Mali". lignesdedefense.blogs.ouest-france.fr (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  7. ↑ "Mali : un proche d'Iyad Ag Ghaly tué dans un raid de Barkhane à la frontière algérienne – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  8. ↑ "Après la double attaque de Ouagadougou, l'enquête progresse". Le Figaro (in French). 2018-03-03. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  9. ↑ MENASTREAM (March 4, 2018). ""[JNIM] names six commanders killed on February 14 in N. Kidal"". Twitter. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
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