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Battle of Tabankort (2019)
On November 18, 2019, Malian troops were ambushed by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara during a patrol of Tabankort, in Ménaka Cercle, Mali. AttackWhile attempting to meet up with a contingent of Nigerien troops as part of Operation Tongo-Tongo, a reprisal operation for an ambush that left several American and Nigerian soldiers dead, a group of jihadists ambushed and overpowered a group of Malian soldiers.[1][2] The jihadists rode on seven vehicles, several motorcycles, and two tuk-tuks stolen from a local medical center, and posed as vaccination staff members to conduct the attack.[3][4] Once the jihadists' disguises were exposed, a battle ensued between ISGS and the Malian troops.[5][6] Around one hundred fifty Malian soldiers fought, with thirteen vehicles.[6] They were forced to pull back, and the group of 850 Nigerien soldiers began a combing operation in the Tabankort valley, bringing back the bodies of slain Malian soldiers.[6] AftermathISGS claimed responsibility for the attack on November 20.[7][8] They also claimed that 30 Malian soldiers were killed, and thirty more were injured.[8] The Malian army claimed on November 18 that the death toll was 24 soldiers killed and 29 injured, while seventeen jihadists were killed and over a hundred apprehended.[9] An AFP source then claimed the next day that the Malian death toll was over thirty killed.[9] The bodies of the 30 soldiers killed were interred during a military ceremony in Gao on November 20.[10] However, the bodies of thirteen other soldiers were discovered on November 21, bringing the death toll to 43 killed.[11] References
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