Reference Message Network reported on June 14 that Agence France-Presse reported on June 13 that fierce conflicts occurred in northern Mali on the 13th. The conflicting parties were the Malian government army supported by the Russian "African Corps" and the separatist armed organization "Azawad Liberation Front".

The report said that the General Staff of the Malian army admitted that a supply convoy was ambushed in the Kidal area early on the 13th. Prior to this, the military had claimed to have "attacked terrorist armed gangs." The military said some "enemy combatants" were killed and considered the situation to be "under control".

"Azawad Liberation Front" also claimed in an announcement on the evening of the 13th: "An attack was launched against a convoy of the Malian government army - 'African Corps'. It caused dozens of deaths among the enemy, including mercenaries of the 'African Corps'."

Earlier on the morning of the 13th, a spokesperson for the "Azawad Liberation Front" also claimed: "Our army has carried out an operation against a 'African Corps' patrol team. We inflicted heavy casualties and material losses on the other side." A source within the organization also claimed: "Many mercenaries of the 'African Corps' were killed."

It was reported that in the images pushed by the "Azawad Liberation Front" on social media on the same day, there were pictures of white corpses wearing combat uniforms as well as equipment captured during the battle.

The report said that the "African Corps" replaced the Russian paramilitary group Wagner Group to carry out tasks in Africa, and diplomatic and security sources confirmed that the Wagner Group has now withdrawn from Mali. The "African Corps", supervised by the Russian Ministry of Defense, is also actively supporting the governments of several other African countries.

It was reported that the "Azawad Liberation Front" was established at the end of last year, formed by the merger of several organizations mainly composed of Tuareg people. (Compiled/Lu Longjun)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515766240082756108/

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