Battle of Ndaki | |||||||
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Part of Mali War | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Mali France |
Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unknown | Almansour Ag Alkassam | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Several dozen[1] 2 Tiger helicopters, 2 Mirage planes | 50 men | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 injured None | 1 killed |
Between October 16 and 17, 2018, joint Franco-Malian forces clashed with Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin in a forest near Ndaki, Mali.
In 2017, five jihadist groups - Ansar Dine, Al-Mourabitoun, Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, Katibat Macina, and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - that initially rebelled against the Malian government amidst the Tuareg rebellion in 2012, merged to form Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin. JNIM grew in power in late 2017, and soon intensified operations in southern Gao Region and Mopti Region.
The Ndaki region is considered a hotspot for Katibat Macina activity, in particular Katibat 3A, named for their leader Almansour Ag Alkassam.[2][3]
A skirmish broke out between joint Franco-Malian forces in a forest near Ndaki on October 16. Around fifty jihadists attackd Malian forces in the forest from two sides.[3] Malian forces alerted nearby French forces in Operation Barkhane, who sent air support.[4] The French helicopters came under small arms fire from the militants, and the helicopter subsequently responded.[4] Ground troops were soon deployed, and the clashes continued into October 17. Patrick Steiger, spokesman for the French Armed Forces, stated that "tenacity of the terrorists...suggested that it was either a site important to them or someone important was present."[5][4] That leader was likely Alkassam.[5]
JNIM abandoned their camp on October 17, after which Malian and French forces seized the site.[4]
Two Malian soldiers were injured in the clashes, and one jihadist was killed. Steiger claimed that other wounded or killed jihadists were likely taken away by Katiba 3A overnight.[3][4]