An affiliate of Al Qaeda has announced that it killed 50 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers in an ambush in Mali's northern Kidal region, near the Algerian border. The incident took place on Saturday, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

Concurrent Attack by Tuareg Rebels

On the same day, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security, and Development (CSP-PSD), a Tuareg rebel movement, reported that it had inflicted heavy casualties on Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries during clashes in the border town of Tinzaouaten.

The ambush represents a severe blow to Wagner, marking its heaviest defeat since the group began assisting Mali's junta in combating Islamist insurgencies in the Sahel region two years ago. The Malian army, which took power through coups in 2020 and 2021, maintains that Russian forces in Mali are trainers, not Wagner mercenaries, and are aiding local troops with Russian-supplied equipment.

Wagner's Admission of Losses

In a rare statement on Monday, Wagner acknowledged that its fighters engaged alongside Malian soldiers from July 22-27 near Tinzaouaten, suffering significant losses, including the death of their commander, Sergei Shevchenko. Several Russian military bloggers reported at least 20 Wagner fatalities.

Al Qaeda Affiliate's Statement

On Sunday, SITE quoted a statement from Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al Qaeda branch, claiming responsibility for the ambush. The group stated that its militants had "ensnared a convoy of the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries in a complex ambush" south of Tinzaouaten.