Battle of Tessalit

Battle of Tessalit
	Part of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion
	Tessalit Battle of Tessalit (Mali)
Date	18 January–11 March 2012; (1 month, 3 weeks and 1 day)
Location	Tessalit, Mali
Result	MNLA victory
Belligerents
Mali Malian Army;	Azawad MNLA; Ansar Dine; AQIM
Commanders and leaders
Didier Dacko; El Hadj Ag Gamou; Mohamed Ould Meydou; Kassim Goita; Mohamed Ag Bachir; Yusuf Ag Bougara (POW)	Bayes Ag Dicknane; Abou Al-Tayyib; Cheikh Ag Aoussa; Abdelkim Kojak; Ibah Ag Moussa; Assalat Ag Habi
Strength
800 regular soldiers; 107 vehicles; 6 BRDM; several helicopters; 300 reinforcements	600 fighters; 30 vehicles
Casualties and losses
32-49 killed; 20+ wounded; 62-71 captured; 21 vehicles destroyed; 6 vehicles captured; 2 BRDM-2 captured; 1 BRDM-2 destroyed	7-17 fighters killed; 6-8 wounded; 7 captured; 1 vehicle destroyed

The Amachach military base in Tessalit was defended by roughly 800 Malian soldiers commanded by Colonel Kassim Goita, with 1,500 refugees being mostly Tuareg women and children. The International Committee of the Red Cross was sent to help evacuate civilians and military families, but despite the approval of the MNLA, Malian authorities delayed the operation and it was never executed as a humanitarian source. Other Malian military forces in the region of Tessalit were led by Colonels' Didier Dacko, Ould Meydou, and the well respected Tuareg commander El Hadji Ag Gamou.

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