Battle of Tinzaouaten (2012)
| Battle of Tinzaouaten | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion | |||||||
  Tinzaouaten Battle of Tinzaouaten (2012) (Mali) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50 | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 killed 10 captured 37 defected | 1 killed | ||||||
On 8 February,[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
On February 7, 2012, the city of Tinzawatene was attacked by the rebels. However, on the first day the Malian forces managed to repel the attack after several hours of combat. The next day however, the city was captured by the rebels. According to one of the MNLA spokesmen, Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, the separatists took control of two military camps in the city and took several military vehicles. The Malian army admits that the garrison has withdrawn to Algeria , although it denies having been beaten, mentioning a "strategic retreat". On March 20, Ansar Dine also claimed to have control of Tinzawatene. [5][6]
Aftermath
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 on their side. The separatists also claim to have captured several vehicles. Spokesman Hama Ag Sid'Ahmed, however, mentions a dead and injured in the ranks of the MNLA. According to an unnamed official Malian source, there has been no fighting or loss of life as the army has decided to abandon 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
 | This article may be confusing or unclear to readers. (November 2014) |
- ^ name="Border"
- ^ "Home". BBC News. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^ [1]
- ^ name="Tinzawatene"
- ^ http://www.france24.com/fr/20120209-nord-mali-rebelles-touareg-mnla-azawad-sahel-sahara-kel-tamasheq-tinzawatene-kidal
- ^ http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2012/03/20/le-mouvement-islamiste-arme-touareg-affirme-controler-le-nord-est-du-mali_1672558_3212.html
- ^ http://www.mnlamov.net/actualites/34-actualites/117-la-localite-de-tinzawaten-est-libre.html
- ^ http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20120209-mali-rebelles-MNLA-contr%C3%B4lent-localit%C3%A9-Nord
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/mali-rebels-town-idAFL5E8D8A0G20120209
- ^ http://www.mnlamov.net/actualites/119-bilan-des-hostilites-a-tinzawaten.html
13°43′00″N 5°56′00″W / 13.7167°N 5.9333°W
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