Mali army admits ‘significant’ losses in Wagner battle

The Russian mercenary Wagner group, said one of its commanders had died in the fighting that took place during a sandstorm.

Neither Mali’s military nor Wagner have given figures, but the estimated death toll for Wagner fighters ranges from between twenty and eighty.

The clashes took place in the desert near Tinzaouaten, a north-eastern town on the border with Algeria.

According to Wagner, its fighters and a detachment from the Malian military were retreating from Tinzaouaten after clashes with separatist forces from the Tuareg ethnic group.

While waiting for reinforcements, their convoy was ambushed in attacks by the separatists and militants from an al-Qaeda affiliate, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin.