Unknown 50 Location Timbuktu, Mali | Result French-Malian Victory | |
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Similar Northern Mali conflict, Operation Panther, Battle of Konna, Battle of Ifoghas, 2012 Malian coup d'état | ||
Battle of timbuktu
The Battle of Timbuktu occurred in Timbuktu, Mali, in March 2013, between Islamist groups and Mali government forces supported by France.
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On the night of March 20 to 21, a group of Islamist militants tried to infiltrate the airport. A car with armed men also tried to break into the city, however, French and Malian forces pushed them back.
A few hours after the fighting began, a suicide bomber blew up a car bomb, and the lights at the airport went out. Camouflaged in the colors of the Malian army, the vehicle came close to Malian soldiers before exploding, injuring three Malian soldiers, one mortally. After the explosion, the Malian and French troops prepared for an attack. After a suspicious vehicle was spotted by the French, they opened fire; it was later determined to be a Malian army vehicle, three of its occupants were injured. During the clashes, two Mirage 2000D aircraft intervened to support the troops on the ground. Fighting intensified after four in the morning but ended three hours later in the airport area. According to the French army, there were about 50 attackers.