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Wagner group decimated by local militia after base hit by three car bombs in bloodbath

Wagner group decimated by local militia after base hit by three car bombs in bloodbath
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Saturday, 22 April, 2023, 21:30

A “Russian camp” believed to belong to Wagner Group mercenaries has been attacked by Mali militia jihadists, two local officials have claimed, as at least 29 people are killed in the incident. Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been blamed for the attack on the small central Mali town of Sevare. More than 60 people have been wounded, according to local reports, with dozens of the injured being rushed to the nearby hospital 7 miles away in the town of Mopti.
After the Mali junta, a military coup that claimed control of the West African country, aligned themselves with Russia last year, devastating combat has been breaking out between the suspected Wagner Group mercenaries aiding the government and Muslim jihadists.

The attack targeted the base and airport believed to be part of the “Russian camp” stationed in the region to fight against the jihadist insurgencies.

Senegalese soldiers from the United Nations “Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali”, which has a four-hectare base next to the Malian army camp housing the Russian mercenaries, were also fired upon as they attempted to de-escalate the situation.

“We are facing a terrorist attack in Sevare — our men are on the ground”, a Malian military official told local reporters.

“It was a complex attack that required a booby-trapped vehicle and guerrilla techniques,” another military source said.

A third local source said the jihadists had used “three car bombs” in the attack, which began around 5.30am.

In the early hours, four loud explosions could be heard, followed by automatic weapons fire. Smoke was also seen near the airport.

“It is the Russian camp and their planes that have been targeted — the camp is near the airport”, another local official said. “The jihadists have surrounded part of the airport.”

They added that the Senegalese UN soldiers had not been injured and were able to slow the jihadists advance.

He said that Senegalese soldiers from the UN’s mission in Mali, MINUSMA, were able to slow the jihadists’ advance.