Operation Serval (French: Opération Serval) was a French military operation to oust Islamist militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of the country.
Start~End Jan 11, 2013 ~ Jul 15, 2014Last edited Oct 15, 2026, 4:07 PM
Details
Start ~ End
Jan 11, 2013 ~ Jul 15, 2014
Date
11 January 2013 – 15 July 2014 (1 year, 6 months and 4 days)
Malian/French victory All major cities controlled by French/Malian troops and other allied troops. France launched Operation Barkhane on 1 August 2014.
Operation Serval (French: Opération Serval) was a French military operation to oust Islamist militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of the country.123
The operation was named after the serval, a medium-sized African wild cat.
Background
In January 2012, following an influx of weapons that occurred after the Libyan Civil War, Tuareg tribesmen of the (MNLA) against Mali's central government. In April, the MNLA said it had accomplished its goals and called off its offensive against the government, proclaiming the independence of . In June 2012, the MNLA came into conflict with the groups and the (MOJWA), after the Islamists began imposing in Azawad.
This page is based on “Operation Serval” from English Wikipedia, (r1378430069) CC BY-SA 4.0 used under the license. The original authors are listed in its page history.
By 17 July, MOJWA and Ansar Dine had pushed the MNLA out of all the major cities.11 On 1 September 2012, the town of Douentza in the Mopti Region, until then controlled by the Ganda Iso militia, was taken by the MOJWA,12 and on 28 November 2012, the MNLA was pushed out of Léré, Timbuktu Region, by Ansar Dine.13
On 13 January, four Rafale fighter jets of the 1/7 Provence Fighter Squadron flew from the Saint-Dizier Airbase in France to attack targets in the city of Gao. The Rafale planes then proceeded to N'Djamena and would remain based there for the duration of the conflict.15 By 16 January, the French Air Force dispatched two additional KC-135 Stratotanker planes and two HarfangUAVs from the 1/33 Belfort Reconnaissance Squadron to N'Djamena.16
To transport Army troops to Bamako, the Air Force used the Airbus A310 and A340 of the 3/60 Estérel Transport Squadron. On 23 January, a detachment of Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air was deployed to the airport in Bamako to provide security for the French Air Force assets stationed there and to execute combat search and rescue missions if necessary. Along with the Fusiliers, the Air Force deployed two Puma helicopters of the 1/67 Pyrénées Helicopter Squadron in the combat search and rescue role to Bamako.17 On 25 January, the Air Force deployed two additional Rafale fighter jets and two additional KC-135 Stratotanker planes to N'Djamena, bringing the total to six Rafale jets and 5 KC-135's in the theater of operations.18
Transall C-160 transport planes from the 1/64 Béarn and 2/64 Anjou squadrons and C-130H Hercules transport planes from the 2/61 Franche Comté squadrons were used to ferry materiel to Bamako, while Transall C-160 transport planes from the 3/61 Poitou Transport Squadron flew reinforcements to the airport of Gao.19
At the end of May 2013, the French Army began to draw down its forces in Mali. For further combat operations, a mixed combat group named GTIA Désert (Groupement tactique interarmes Désert) was activated in Gao, on 20 May 2013. Only this combat group will remain in the area for further combat operations and to support the MISMA, MINUSMA and EUTM Mali missions, as well as the Malian Army. The GTIA Désert is composed of the following units:29
Chad: On 16 January, the Chadian government announced that it would deploy 2,000 troops: one infantry regiment with 1,200 soldiers and two support battalions with 800 soldiers. The Chadian forces will not be part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, but will be integrated into the French command structure.353637
Germany: Three German Air ForceTransall C-160 were deployed to the Malian capital Bamako to help with the transport of equipment.40 On 28 February 2013, the German parliament approved sending up to 330 German soldiers to provide engineer mentoring, logistical and medical service to the operation as well as one additional A310 MRTT air-to-air refueling plane.41
Netherlands: Initially, the Dutch government decided to deploy a Royal Netherlands Air ForceKDC-10 tanker/transport plane. For its first flight, the aircraft picked up its supplies in France and proceeded to N'Djamena in Chad, where the French military have a logistic support hub. After 14 January 2013, the Dutch began to fly directly into Bamako.4243 Later, the Dutch contribution was increased by an additional KDC-10 tanker/transport plane, four C-130 Hercules transport planes, three CH-47 Chinook transport and Medevac helicopters and one DC-10 passenger plane.44
United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force deployed two C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport planes of No. 99 Squadron to the French Évreux Air Base on 13 January 2013. The planes transported French armored vehicles to the Malian capital Bamako in what the British are calling Operation Newcombe.49 On 25 January 2013, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the deployment of a Sentinel R1 surveillance aircraft to support French forces.50 The British government announced on 28 January that British troops will deploy to Mali, but that they would not be involved in combat.51 According to the BBC, on 29 January 2013, it was understood that 40 British advisers were to operate within Mali, and more in other nations, making a total of 350. There was a debate about whether these advisers should be protected by French forces, or by British troops - the latter would result in a deployment of "multiples of dozens".
United States: The US Air Force established an air bridge between the Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in the South of France and Malian capital Bamako, using up to five C-17 Globemaster III transport planes to ferry French equipment and troops to Mali.52 A small contingent of American troops provided flight support operations at Bamako.53 On 26 January, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta informed French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that the "US Africa Command will support the French military by conducting aerial refueling missions as operations in Mali continue".54 Over the course of Operation Serval, up to 5 US KC-135 were deployed to conduct Air Refueling missions with French Mirage and Rafales, including an impressive 100 sorties in less than two months.55 US covert ISR aircraft based in Burkina Faso supported the operation.56ABC News reported that 150 U.S. military personnel set up and carried out an operation involving surveillance drone over Mali from Niamey.57
Operations
The operation began on 11 January 2013, with French ArmyGazelle helicopters armed with 20 mm cannons from the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment attacking a rebel column near Sévaré. French forces suffered one casualty when a Gazelle attack helicopter came under small arms fire and one of the two pilots was hit. The pilot, Lt. Damien Boiteux, later died of his injuries. The other pilot managed to fly the helicopter back to base, but the aircraft was written off as lost due to the damage sustained.5859
By 12 January, hundreds of French troops were involved in the military operation in Mali,60 with special focus in the Battle of Konna. The Malian army claimed that, with their help, it had retaken Konna, which it had lost a few days earlier.61 French airstrikes appeared to stop the rebel advance to the south which prompted the intervention62 and destroyed an Ansar Dine command post near Konna.63
France asked the U.S. to speed up its contribution by sending drones to improve surveillance over the vast area of northern Mali. The Pentagon was reported to have studied the French request.62 Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced that his country would lend logistical support to the operation.64ECOWAS troops preparing to deploy to Mali also decided to move up their arrival date to 14 January at the latest.62
According to Human Rights Watch, 10 civilians were killed when Malian forces fought to recapture Konna.65
On 13 January, French planes bombed rebels' positions in Gao. Air strikes hit a fuel depot and a customs house being used as a headquarters by the Islamist rebels. Dozens of Islamist fighters were killed.66 A Malian security source put the number of dead fighters at 60.67 On 15 January, the French defense minister confirmed that the Mali military had still not recaptured Konna from rebel forces, despite earlier claims that they did.68
On 15 January, French special forces entered the strategically important central town of Markala,69 describing it as "secured" on 19 January.70 The French and Malian forces launched a major ground offensive into the North of the country for the first time on 16 January.71 Along with French help, Malian forces took back control of Konna on 18 January. On 21 January, the Malian military, with the aid of French air support, took possession of Diabaly.72 The next day, Chadian forces began moving from Niger's capital city, Niamey, to Ouallam, a position some one-hundred kilometers south of the Malian border.73
On 25 January, it was reported that a combined force of French and Malian troops captured the town of Hombori, about 100 miles south of Gao. French forces also bombed Islamist troops and their supply stores around Gao.74 This resulted in the destruction of two Islamist bases with fuel stocks and weapon dumps.75
On the morning 26 January, French forces captured the airport at Gao and seized the main Wabary bridge over the Niger River into Gao.7677 French special forces were also in action against rebels that had melted into the local population.78 During the next few hours, the French-Malian forces assaulted the town of Gao, backed by French warplanes and helicopters. The Islamists lost a dozen fighters, while the French suffered no losses or injuries. A Malian army spokesman said on 27 January that the "Malian army and the French control Gao today".76
On the 27 January, French forces captured Timbuktu without resistance after Islamist fighters fled the city to avoid French airstrikes.7980 In capturing Timbuktu, documents left by AQIM were found revealing the strategic organization of the group.81 After gaining the airport on 27 January, the next day, Malian and French military sources claimed that the entire area between Gao and Timbuktu was under government control and access to the city was available.828384
Three days after capturing Timbuktu, French and Malian forces entered the town of Kidal on 30 January, approximately 200 kilometers from the Algerian border. The town and its airport were taken without resistance from Islamist militants. It was the last major town to be held by the militants.85 Despite the capture of all major towns, French and Malian forces clashed with Islamists outside Gao on 5 February. Several French troops suffered light wounds during the skirmish, which involved long-range small arms and rocket fire.86 On 8 February, French and Chadian troops claimed to have occupied the town of Tessalit, near the Algerian border, and seat of one of the last airports still not controlled by the Malian government and its allies. The same day, the first suicide attack in the conflict took place in Gao, resulting in one Malian soldier injured and the death of the attacker.87 On 10 February, the Islamists made an attack in Gao,88 which was countered by French and Malian troops securing the nearby area of Bourem on 17 February.89
On 19 February, a French soldier (member of the French Foreign Legion) was killed during heavy fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in the far North East of Mali near the Algerian border.90 On 3 March, a French paratrooper was killed in the same area and the Chadian army announced the killing of the two Islamist Algerian leaders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid and Mokhtar Belmokhtar. This was not confirmed by the French army.91 On 5 March, the death of Abou Zeid was confirmed by a member of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).92
On 6 March, a French Army sergeant from the 68th African artillery regiment was killed during an operation in eastern Mali around 100 km (60 miles) from the town of Gao, the former stronghold of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA). On 17 March, a corporal from the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment was killed when his vehicle was hit by an Improvised explosive device in the south of Tessalit in the Adrar des Ifoghas massif. Three other soldiers were wounded by the explosion.93
On 30 March, the city of Timbuktu was attacked when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Malian army checkpoint, allowing a group of rebels to infiltrate by night. A contingent of around fifty French soldiers supported by French fighter jets were then sent to reinforce the Malian army who could not repel the rebel attack. By 1 April, rebel presence in the city was cleared.94 On 12 April, two suicide bombers detonated their belts, blowing themselves up near a group of Chadian soldiers, in a busy market in Kidal. At least three soldiers were killed in the explosion and a dozen of civilians were wounded.95
On 11 May 2013, the command of ground operations of in Mali passed from the 3e Brigade Mécanisée to the 6e Brigade Légère Blindée.96 On 25 May 2013, French forces began their first stage of withdrawal when a convoy of lorries left Bamako for Ivory Coast, carrying equipment and vehicles no longer needed.97 On 30 July, a French soldier was killed in a vehicle accident and a second soldier suffered injuries. This marked the ninth death among French soldiers killed in support of operations in Mali.
The second in command of AQIM, Hacene Ould Khalill, was killed during a raid by French special forces near Tessalit in November 2013.98
Battle of Dayet in Maharat
On the evening of 16 April 2014, the French army destroyed two pickup trucks containing jihadists north of Timbuktu. They then used air and ground forces to intercept other vehicles. During the night of 16 to 17 April, the French special forces, backed by troops from Operation Serval and helicopters come in contact with the Islamist fighters. The French began by firing warning shots, but the jihadists refused to surrender and opened fire. Faced with the advance of the French military, they abandoned their vehicles and ran, suffering more losses. According to the French Ministry of Defense "part of the terrorist group" is "neutralized. According to the staff of the armies, a dozen fighters are neutralized, that is to say killed.99100
A number of hostages were abandoned by their jihadist captors at the beginning of the fight. The former hostages were then exfiltrated by the French military. Those released were Malians and four Tuaregs. On the evening of 17 April, in a joint statement, the French president and the president of Mali, announced the release of five hostages. The ICRC also published a statement in which he welcomed the release and said that two humanitarian workers had suffered minor injuries but their life was not in danger.
Reactions
In the wake of the French deployment, ECOWAS said that it had ordered its African-led International Support Mission to Mali to be deployed immediately, and the European Union said it had increased preparations for sending a military training mission, EUTM Mali.101
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hoped on 12 January that the French government's decision would "be consistent with the spirit" of UN Security Council resolution 2085 adopted in December.102Algerian foreign ministry spokesman Amar Belani expressed support for the Malian transitional authorities, and "noted that Mali has asked, in line with its sovereignty, for friendly powers to reinforce its national capacities to fight terrorism".103
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO (2009-2014), said that he did not see a role for the NATO in Mali (NATO can't be the world's policeman, travelling from country to country, solving all the problems. So I think it's a good idea to have a division of labour. [..] the United Nation Security Council has mandated an African-led stabilisation force to take action in Mali).104
Germany could take part in any European training mission to Mali to help its government prepare troops to counter the insurgents, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 14 January. German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle ruled out the possibility of German armed forces taking part in a combat mission in Mali, but he also said Germany was prepared to help train the Mali Armed Forces.105
On 14 January, the Tuareg separatist MNLA declared it would fight alongside the French and even the Malian government to "end terrorism in Azawad". The spokesman also declared that the MNLA would be a more effective force than those of the neighboring West African nations "because of our knowledge of the ground and the populations".106
Mathieu Guidère, a scholar of Islam and the Arab world at the University of Toulouse, said in an interview published in the newsmagazine Jeune Afrique, that without the French military intervention the state of Mali would have fallen.107
France's stated rationale for the operation is that to do otherwise would allow "a terrorist state at the doorstep of France and Europe."108
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the intervention in a phone call with French President François Hollande as "a brave step against extremist Islamic terrorism".109
Egypt's former President Mohammed Morsi criticized France's intervention.110
On 26 January, during the CELAC and European Union summit in Santiago de Chile, Colombia and Chile both expressed support for the French military intervention in Mali. Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos, stated that "Colombia has suffered so much from terrorism that it can not disagree with this action."111
A 2013 Al Jazeera poll found that 96% of Malians in Bamako supported French intervention.112
Shurkin, Michael (2014). "CHAPTER TWO: Operation Serval" (PDF). In Pernin, Chris; Bonds, Tim; Gordon, John; Atler, Anthony; Boston, Scott; Madden, Dan; Pezard, Stephanie; Chivvis, Chris; Shapiro, Jeremy (eds.). France's War in Mali: Lessons for an Expeditionary Army (Report). Santa Monica, California, United States: RAND Corporation (RAND Army Research Division/RAND Arroyo Center's Force Development and Technology program). pp. 5–26. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
Leclerc du Sablon, Jean (29 December 1972). Baquet, Dean; Louttit, Meghan; Corbett, Philip; Chang, Lian; Drake, Monica; Kahn, Joseph; Kingsbury, Kathleen; Sulzberger, A.G.; Levien, Meredith Kopit; Caputo, Roland A.; Bardeen, William; Dunbar-Johnson, Stephen; Brayton, Diane (eds.). "Newsmen in Hanoi Visit Street of Ruins". Main section. The New York Times. Vol. CXXI, no. 261. New York City, United States. Agence France-Presse. p. A1. ISSN0362-4331. OCLC1645522. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
Nossiter, Adam; Schmitt, Eric; Gladstone, Rick; Sayare, Scott (12 July 2013). Baquet, Dean; Louttit, Meghan; Corbett, Philip; Chang, Lian; Drake, Monica; Kahn, Joseph; Kingsbury, Kathleen; Sulzberger, A.G.; Levien, Meredith Kopit; Caputo, Roland A.; Bardeen, William; Dunbar-Johnson, Stephen; Brayton, Diane (eds.). "Jihadists' Fierce Justice Drives Thousands to Flee Mali". Africa section (World section). The New York Times. Vol. CLXII, no. 140. New York City, United States. p. A1. ISSN0362-4331. OCLC1645522. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021. ↩
Nossiter, Adam; Schmitt, Eric (18 July 2012). Baquet, Dean; Louttit, Meghan; Corbett, Philip; Chang, Lian; Drake, Monica; Kahn, Joseph; Kingsbury, Kathleen; Sulzberger, A.G.; Levien, Meredith Kopit; Caputo, Roland A.; Bardeen, William; Dunbar-Johnson, Stephen; Brayton, Diane (eds.). "Jihadists' Fierce Justice Drives Thousands to Flee Mali". Africa section (World section). The New York Times. Vol. CLXI, no. 139. New York City, United States. p. A1. ISSN0362-4331. OCLC1645522. Archived from the original on 26 July 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2021. ↩
Operation Serval (French: Opération Serval) was a French military operation to oust Islamist militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of the country.123
By 17 July, MOJWA and Ansar Dine had pushed the MNLA out of all the major cities.11 On 1 September 2012, the town of Douentza in the Mopti Region, until then controlled by the Ganda Iso militia, was taken by the MOJWA,12 and on 28 November 2012, the MNLA was pushed out of Léré, Timbuktu Region, by Ansar Dine.13
On 13 January, four Rafale fighter jets of the 1/7 Provence Fighter Squadron flew from the Saint-Dizier Airbase in France to attack targets in the city of Gao. The Rafale planes then proceeded to N'Djamena and would remain based there for the duration of the conflict.15 By 16 January, the French Air Force dispatched two additional KC-135 Stratotanker planes and two HarfangUAVs from the 1/33 Belfort Reconnaissance Squadron to N'Djamena.16
To transport Army troops to Bamako, the Air Force used the Airbus A310 and A340 of the 3/60 Estérel Transport Squadron. On 23 January, a detachment of Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air was deployed to the airport in Bamako to provide security for the French Air Force assets stationed there and to execute combat search and rescue missions if necessary. Along with the Fusiliers, the Air Force deployed two Puma helicopters of the 1/67 Pyrénées Helicopter Squadron in the combat search and rescue role to Bamako.17 On 25 January, the Air Force deployed two additional Rafale fighter jets and two additional KC-135 Stratotanker planes to N'Djamena, bringing the total to six Rafale jets and 5 KC-135's in the theater of operations.18
Transall C-160 transport planes from the 1/64 Béarn and 2/64 Anjou squadrons and C-130H Hercules transport planes from the 2/61 Franche Comté squadrons were used to ferry materiel to Bamako, while Transall C-160 transport planes from the 3/61 Poitou Transport Squadron flew reinforcements to the airport of Gao.19
At the end of May 2013, the French Army began to draw down its forces in Mali. For further combat operations, a mixed combat group named GTIA Désert (Groupement tactique interarmes Désert) was activated in Gao, on 20 May 2013. Only this combat group will remain in the area for further combat operations and to support the MISMA, MINUSMA and EUTM Mali missions, as well as the Malian Army. The GTIA Désert is composed of the following units:29
Chad: On 16 January, the Chadian government announced that it would deploy 2,000 troops: one infantry regiment with 1,200 soldiers and two support battalions with 800 soldiers. The Chadian forces will not be part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali, but will be integrated into the French command structure.353637
Germany: Three German Air ForceTransall C-160 were deployed to the Malian capital Bamako to help with the transport of equipment.40 On 28 February 2013, the German parliament approved sending up to 330 German soldiers to provide engineer mentoring, logistical and medical service to the operation as well as one additional A310 MRTT air-to-air refueling plane.41
Netherlands: Initially, the Dutch government decided to deploy a Royal Netherlands Air ForceKDC-10 tanker/transport plane. For its first flight, the aircraft picked up its supplies in France and proceeded to N'Djamena in Chad, where the French military have a logistic support hub. After 14 January 2013, the Dutch began to fly directly into Bamako.4243 Later, the Dutch contribution was increased by an additional KDC-10 tanker/transport plane, four C-130 Hercules transport planes, three CH-47 Chinook transport and Medevac helicopters and one DC-10 passenger plane.44
United Kingdom: The Royal Air Force deployed two C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport planes of No. 99 Squadron to the French Évreux Air Base on 13 January 2013. The planes transported French armored vehicles to the Malian capital Bamako in what the British are calling Operation Newcombe.49 On 25 January 2013, the UK Ministry of Defence announced the deployment of a Sentinel R1 surveillance aircraft to support French forces.50 The British government announced on 28 January that British troops will deploy to Mali, but that they would not be involved in combat.51 According to the BBC, on 29 January 2013, it was understood that 40 British advisers were to operate within Mali, and more in other nations, making a total of 350. There was a debate about whether these advisers should be protected by French forces, or by British troops - the latter would result in a deployment of "multiples of dozens".
United States: The US Air Force established an air bridge between the Istres-Le Tubé Air Base in the South of France and Malian capital Bamako, using up to five C-17 Globemaster III transport planes to ferry French equipment and troops to Mali.52 A small contingent of American troops provided flight support operations at Bamako.53 On 26 January, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta informed French Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian that the "US Africa Command will support the French military by conducting aerial refueling missions as operations in Mali continue".54 Over the course of Operation Serval, up to 5 US KC-135 were deployed to conduct Air Refueling missions with French Mirage and Rafales, including an impressive 100 sorties in less than two months.55 US covert ISR aircraft based in Burkina Faso supported the operation.56ABC News reported that 150 U.S. military personnel set up and carried out an operation involving surveillance drone over Mali from Niamey.57
Operations
The operation began on 11 January 2013, with French ArmyGazelle helicopters armed with 20 mm cannons from the 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment attacking a rebel column near Sévaré. French forces suffered one casualty when a Gazelle attack helicopter came under small arms fire and one of the two pilots was hit. The pilot, Lt. Damien Boiteux, later died of his injuries. The other pilot managed to fly the helicopter back to base, but the aircraft was written off as lost due to the damage sustained.5859
By 12 January, hundreds of French troops were involved in the military operation in Mali,60 with special focus in the Battle of Konna. The Malian army claimed that, with their help, it had retaken Konna, which it had lost a few days earlier.61 French airstrikes appeared to stop the rebel advance to the south which prompted the intervention62 and destroyed an Ansar Dine command post near Konna.63
France asked the U.S. to speed up its contribution by sending drones to improve surveillance over the vast area of northern Mali. The Pentagon was reported to have studied the French request.62 Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom announced that his country would lend logistical support to the operation.64ECOWAS troops preparing to deploy to Mali also decided to move up their arrival date to 14 January at the latest.62
According to Human Rights Watch, 10 civilians were killed when Malian forces fought to recapture Konna.65
On 13 January, French planes bombed rebels' positions in Gao. Air strikes hit a fuel depot and a customs house being used as a headquarters by the Islamist rebels. Dozens of Islamist fighters were killed.66 A Malian security source put the number of dead fighters at 60.67 On 15 January, the French defense minister confirmed that the Mali military had still not recaptured Konna from rebel forces, despite earlier claims that they did.68
On 15 January, French special forces entered the strategically important central town of Markala,69 describing it as "secured" on 19 January.70 The French and Malian forces launched a major ground offensive into the North of the country for the first time on 16 January.71 Along with French help, Malian forces took back control of Konna on 18 January. On 21 January, the Malian military, with the aid of French air support, took possession of Diabaly.72 The next day, Chadian forces began moving from Niger's capital city, Niamey, to Ouallam, a position some one-hundred kilometers south of the Malian border.73
On 25 January, it was reported that a combined force of French and Malian troops captured the town of Hombori, about 100 miles south of Gao. French forces also bombed Islamist troops and their supply stores around Gao.74 This resulted in the destruction of two Islamist bases with fuel stocks and weapon dumps.75
On the morning 26 January, French forces captured the airport at Gao and seized the main Wabary bridge over the Niger River into Gao.7677 French special forces were also in action against rebels that had melted into the local population.78 During the next few hours, the French-Malian forces assaulted the town of Gao, backed by French warplanes and helicopters. The Islamists lost a dozen fighters, while the French suffered no losses or injuries. A Malian army spokesman said on 27 January that the "Malian army and the French control Gao today".76
On the 27 January, French forces captured Timbuktu without resistance after Islamist fighters fled the city to avoid French airstrikes.7980 In capturing Timbuktu, documents left by AQIM were found revealing the strategic organization of the group.81 After gaining the airport on 27 January, the next day, Malian and French military sources claimed that the entire area between Gao and Timbuktu was under government control and access to the city was available.828384
Three days after capturing Timbuktu, French and Malian forces entered the town of Kidal on 30 January, approximately 200 kilometers from the Algerian border. The town and its airport were taken without resistance from Islamist militants. It was the last major town to be held by the militants.85 Despite the capture of all major towns, French and Malian forces clashed with Islamists outside Gao on 5 February. Several French troops suffered light wounds during the skirmish, which involved long-range small arms and rocket fire.86 On 8 February, French and Chadian troops claimed to have occupied the town of Tessalit, near the Algerian border, and seat of one of the last airports still not controlled by the Malian government and its allies. The same day, the first suicide attack in the conflict took place in Gao, resulting in one Malian soldier injured and the death of the attacker.87 On 10 February, the Islamists made an attack in Gao,88 which was countered by French and Malian troops securing the nearby area of Bourem on 17 February.89
On 19 February, a French soldier (member of the French Foreign Legion) was killed during heavy fighting in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in the far North East of Mali near the Algerian border.90 On 3 March, a French paratrooper was killed in the same area and the Chadian army announced the killing of the two Islamist Algerian leaders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid and Mokhtar Belmokhtar. This was not confirmed by the French army.91 On 5 March, the death of Abou Zeid was confirmed by a member of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).92
On 6 March, a French Army sergeant from the 68th African artillery regiment was killed during an operation in eastern Mali around 100 km (60 miles) from the town of Gao, the former stronghold of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MOJWA). On 17 March, a corporal from the 1st Marine Infantry Regiment was killed when his vehicle was hit by an Improvised explosive device in the south of Tessalit in the Adrar des Ifoghas massif. Three other soldiers were wounded by the explosion.93
On 30 March, the city of Timbuktu was attacked when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Malian army checkpoint, allowing a group of rebels to infiltrate by night. A contingent of around fifty French soldiers supported by French fighter jets were then sent to reinforce the Malian army who could not repel the rebel attack. By 1 April, rebel presence in the city was cleared.94 On 12 April, two suicide bombers detonated their belts, blowing themselves up near a group of Chadian soldiers, in a busy market in Kidal. At least three soldiers were killed in the explosion and a dozen of civilians were wounded.95
On 11 May 2013, the command of ground operations of in Mali passed from the 3e Brigade Mécanisée to the 6e Brigade Légère Blindée.96 On 25 May 2013, French forces began their first stage of withdrawal when a convoy of lorries left Bamako for Ivory Coast, carrying equipment and vehicles no longer needed.97 On 30 July, a French soldier was killed in a vehicle accident and a second soldier suffered injuries. This marked the ninth death among French soldiers killed in support of operations in Mali.
The second in command of AQIM, Hacene Ould Khalill, was killed during a raid by French special forces near Tessalit in November 2013.98
Battle of Dayet in Maharat
On the evening of 16 April 2014, the French army destroyed two pickup trucks containing jihadists north of Timbuktu. They then used air and ground forces to intercept other vehicles. During the night of 16 to 17 April, the French special forces, backed by troops from Operation Serval and helicopters come in contact with the Islamist fighters. The French began by firing warning shots, but the jihadists refused to surrender and opened fire. Faced with the advance of the French military, they abandoned their vehicles and ran, suffering more losses. According to the French Ministry of Defense "part of the terrorist group" is "neutralized. According to the staff of the armies, a dozen fighters are neutralized, that is to say killed.99100
A number of hostages were abandoned by their jihadist captors at the beginning of the fight. The former hostages were then exfiltrated by the French military. Those released were Malians and four Tuaregs. On the evening of 17 April, in a joint statement, the French president and the president of Mali, announced the release of five hostages. The ICRC also published a statement in which he welcomed the release and said that two humanitarian workers had suffered minor injuries but their life was not in danger.
Reactions
In the wake of the French deployment, ECOWAS said that it had ordered its African-led International Support Mission to Mali to be deployed immediately, and the European Union said it had increased preparations for sending a military training mission, EUTM Mali.101
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hoped on 12 January that the French government's decision would "be consistent with the spirit" of UN Security Council resolution 2085 adopted in December.102Algerian foreign ministry spokesman Amar Belani expressed support for the Malian transitional authorities, and "noted that Mali has asked, in line with its sovereignty, for friendly powers to reinforce its national capacities to fight terrorism".103
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO (2009-2014), said that he did not see a role for the NATO in Mali (NATO can't be the world's policeman, travelling from country to country, solving all the problems. So I think it's a good idea to have a division of labour. [..] the United Nation Security Council has mandated an African-led stabilisation force to take action in Mali).104
Germany could take part in any European training mission to Mali to help its government prepare troops to counter the insurgents, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 14 January. German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle ruled out the possibility of German armed forces taking part in a combat mission in Mali, but he also said Germany was prepared to help train the Mali Armed Forces.105
On 14 January, the Tuareg separatist MNLA declared it would fight alongside the French and even the Malian government to "end terrorism in Azawad". The spokesman also declared that the MNLA would be a more effective force than those of the neighboring West African nations "because of our knowledge of the ground and the populations".106
Mathieu Guidère, a scholar of Islam and the Arab world at the University of Toulouse, said in an interview published in the newsmagazine Jeune Afrique, that without the French military intervention the state of Mali would have fallen.107
France's stated rationale for the operation is that to do otherwise would allow "a terrorist state at the doorstep of France and Europe."108
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the intervention in a phone call with French President François Hollande as "a brave step against extremist Islamic terrorism".109
Egypt's former President Mohammed Morsi criticized France's intervention.110
On 26 January, during the CELAC and European Union summit in Santiago de Chile, Colombia and Chile both expressed support for the French military intervention in Mali. Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos, stated that "Colombia has suffered so much from terrorism that it can not disagree with this action."111
A 2013 Al Jazeera poll found that 96% of Malians in Bamako supported French intervention.112
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