Mali, where military authorities seized power in coups in 2020
and 2021, is battling a years-long Islamist insurgency. It has
said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but
trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia.
The rebel movement, the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace,
Security and Development (CSP-PSD), said on Saturday that it had
seized armored vehicles, trucks and tankers in the fighting at
the border town of Tinzaouaten.
Wagner, in a rare statement, said its forces had fought
alongside Mali soldiers from July 22-27 and that Wagner fighters
were commanded by Sergei Shevchenko, whose callsign was "Pond",
near Tinzaouaten.
"On the first day, the 'Pond group' destroyed most of the
Islamists and put the rest to flight," Wagner said on Telegram.
"However, (an) ensuing sandstorm allowed the radicals to regroup
and increase their numbers to 1,000 people."
Wagner said its fighters again repulsed an attack but that under
massive rebel fire, there had been losses among Wagner and the
Malian army.
The last message from the Wagner group on July 27 was: "The
three of us stayed. We continue to fight."
Wagner said Shevchenko was killed.
The Malian army said in statements at the weekend that two of
its soldiers had been killed and 10 injured. One of its
helicopters had crashed in Kidal on Friday while on a routine
mission but no one was killed, it said.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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