Battle of Konna

Battle of Konna
Part of the Northern Mali conflict
Date 10–18 January 2013 (1 week and 1 day) Location Konna, Mali Result Malian/French victory[1][2][3] Islamists capture Konna and hold it for a week Islamist advance is halted by French air-strikes Malian army retakes Konna[3] Beginning of French-led intervention in Mali
Belligerents
Mali  France	Islamists groups: Ansar Dine MOJWA AQIM Boko Haram
Commanders and leaders
Dioncounda Traoré François Hollande Jean-Yves Le Drian	Iyad Ag Ghaly Omar Ould Hamaha Abdel 'Kojak' Krim  †[4] Hammadoun Kufa[5] Souleymane keita
Strength
2,000 Malian Army soldiers, 30 armored vehicles 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment 100 French Special Forces 4 Gazelle helicopters 1 Tiger helicopter 6 Mirage 2000D fighter jets	Estimated 1,200 fighters 300 vehicles[6]
Casualties and losses
58 soldiers killed, 60 + injured (civilian/military estimate)[7][8] 1 pilot killed, 1 helicopter lost[8][9]	50-150 dead[9] ~50 vehicles destroyed
15[8][7] civilians dead Total: 149 killed overall[8][10]

The Battle of Konna was a battle in the Northern Mali Conflict in the town of Konna in central Mali. Various Islamic fundamentalist rebels fought with the government of Mali, the latter of which was supported by French soldiers participating in Operation Serval. This battle was among the first French engagements in their intervention in the Mali War.

The fighting began when rebel fighters disguised as passengers on a public bus infiltrated the town. The bus was stopped at a Malian army checkpoint on the outskirts of Konna. As soldiers entered the bus to search it the Islamists opened fire, killing the soldiers.^[11] Additional rebels poured into the town. After several hours of fighting the Malian army was routed to its base, abandoning the town to the rebels and reportedly leaving several heavy weapons and armored vehicles behind.^[6][12] Around 25 Malian soldiers were killed.^[13]

An estimated 1,200 Islamist fighters advanced to within 20 kilometers of Mopti, a Mali military garrison town.^{[6][11][13][14]}

The battle ended in a victory for the Malian government and France, with rebel fighters ejected from the town.