Malian Army in a major fight against AQIM

The campaign begun in mid June by the Army of Mali against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) insurgents is still on, and the fighting has taken a more difficult turn. Patrol battles near Tessalit in the north over the weekend have now been reported:

"The army fought very deadly clashes with Islamists on July 3 and 4 northeast of (the northern town of) Timbuktu. After very heavy fighting, there were losses on both sides," the army said late on Sunday. The statement gave no details on the death toll.

A military source said dozens had died in the two attacks and an army colonel was amongst the estimated 20 soldiers who went missing.

"We don't know if he is dead or has been taken hostage," the source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Other media sources (AllAfrica; BBC Africa) consulted have nothing further on this item.

As a reminder, Mali is a partner nation to the Trans Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership (TSCTP) program, as is the United States under AFRICOM's Operation Enduring Freedom Trans Sahara portion of the GWOT.