A joint Malian military and Russian Africa Corps convoy was ambushed in northern Mali on July 18, killing at least 50 soldiers and an unconfirmed number of Russian personnel, with additional troops taken prisoner, a security source told AFP.

The attack occurred near Tabrichat, along the roughly 125-mile supply corridor linking the strategic northern town of Anefis to the regional hub of Gao.

The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a Tuareg separatist group seeking an independent state in northern Mali, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the regional al-Qaeda affiliate, issued separate statements claiming joint responsibility. Both cited “great human losses” and “serious material damage” on the government side.

Footage circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers, destroyed vehicles, and bodies at the scene. These claims have not been independently verified.

The aftermath of the FLA/JNIM ambush on a convoy of the Malian Armed Forces and the Russian Ministry of Defense’s “Africa Corps” near Tabarishat, during which dozens of soldiers were killed and captured, while various equipment was seized and destroyed. pic.twitter.com/iUFK9BiPAc

— WarLife (@WarLifeFootage) July 18, 2026

Mali’s armed forces, known by their French-language acronym FAMa, confirmed the attack Saturday, saying armed groups struck “a convoy of Malian soldiers and their partners” in the Gao region and that a counterattack was underway. By Sunday, FAMa said it had conducted “precision strikes against enemy positions” in the area.

The ambush was the third FLA-JNIM strike on the Anefis-Gao corridor in roughly two weeks. This pattern points to a deliberate effort to interdict the route. On July 9, the same coalition attacked a convoy of Russian reinforcements moving toward Anefis, France 24 reported.

On July 6, the FLA said it shot down a Russian Africa Corps Mi-24 attack helicopter near Gao.

FAMa successfully retook full control of Anefis by July 10 after FLA and JNIM fighters briefly overran the town following an offensive that began on July 4.

The army chief stated that approximately 30 soldiers were killed and 60 others were injured during that multi-day counter-operation. The exact number of Russian fighters killed in the subsequent July 18 ambush has not been officially confirmed by Moscow or Bamako.