Also problems for Putin in Africa Tuareg are fierce desert warriors.

NOS News
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today, 19:15
'Dozens of mercenaries killed in Mali'

Tuareg rebels say they have killed or captured dozens of mercenaries from Russia's Africa Corps , formerly the Wagner group, in northern Mali .

The mercenaries are said to have wanted to capture a border town together with Malian soldiers. The Tuaregs are also said to have captured armoured vehicles and trucks and tankers.

Social media channels are circulating photos and images of a battle in the desert and a battlefield with burned-out military vehicles. Dead and wounded soldiers with white skin can also be seen. They are forced to say "Allahu akbar". The battle is said to have lasted several days.

Bloggers
Russian military bloggers who have contacts with the mercenaries also report the defeat. The death toll on the Russian side varies in their reports from twenty to more than eighty. More than fifteen Russians are said to have been captured.

The Tuaregs say that seven fighters have been killed and twelve wounded on their side. Some of the Malian soldiers have fled, according to the Tuaregs. The Mali army acknowledges that its soldiers have withdrawn, but says that they are continuing the fight.

NOS
Russian mercenaries have been fighting with the Malian army against Islamic terrorists and Tuaregs seeking independence since 2021. Former Wagner mercenaries are also active in other countries in West Africa. According to the German news agency DPA, this is the biggest defeat for the mercenaries in West Africa so far.

The Tuareg are a nomadic people whose habitat extends over several countries in North Africa. In Mali, they strive for their own independent state in the northeast of the country.