Battle of Tinzawaten: The final hours of Wagner mercenaries in the Sahara
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The Battle of Tinzawaten, in the Sahara Desert, was the Wagner Group's worst defeat in Africa. Between July 25 and 27, separatist Tuareg rebels along with Islamist fighters killed between 50 and 67 of the Russian group's mercenaries near Tinzawaten in northern Mali. The FRANCE 24 Observers compiled a special report using images recovered from the bodies of the slain Wagner fighters.
It was the Russian mercenary group Wagner's deadliest defeat since it has been active in Africa: at least 50 of its men were killed during three days of fighting after being ambushed by Tuareg rebels known as the CSP, and then attacked by Islamist forces of the JNIM.
One moment of the battle was filmed by one of the Wagner fighters himself, Nikita Fedyanin. Administrator of a Telegram channel called Grey Zone, he was one of the group's chief propagandists, publishing images showing him and his comrades operating in African countries.
The video was recovered from his body by the Tuareg rebels. The rebels recovered telephones and at least one GoPro camera from the Wagner operatives' bodies.
Read moreWhat was revealed in videos found on the bodies of Wagner mercenaries in Mali