Battle of Aguelhok

The Battle of Aguelhok, was a 7 day-long armed confrontation fought during the 2012 Tuareg rebellion in the village of Aguelhok and its surrounding's between forces of the Republic of Mali and MNLA rebels, whom according to Malian authorities were allegedly supported by Islamists fighters linked to AQIM. This battle demonstrated the lack of capabilities the Malian Army has over the rebels, with at least 160 soldiers being killed versus only several reported deaths in the rebel ranks, which drew criticism from the Malian public on how well the army was being financed and the government's handling over the rebellion, which in some cases helped lead to the 2012 Malian coup d'etat that ousted Mali's acting president Amadou Toumani Touré.

Battle and executions
On 17 January 2012, on the first day of the 2012 Tuareg rebellion, Aguelhok along with several other government controlled towns were subjected to intense attacks, claimed to be perpetrated by newly formed MNLA (Movement for the National Liberation of the Azawad) seeking independence for the North of Mali, they call Azawad. According to Malian authorities, the rebel attack on Aguelhok is repelled along with other towns previously attacked the same day. A government statement issued that day read:"On the assailants' side, six vehicles were destroyed, several people died or were wounded, several assailants were taken prisoner; on the Malian side there is one dead". However, the MNLA claimed that their forces took Aguelhok along with other towns inflicting heavy losses upon Malian forces.

On 18 January, the Malian army reported to have regained control of Aguelhok with the help of helicopter gunships. An independent source indicated that a total of 35 rebels were killed and 40 vehicles destroyed. A resident claimed "since 5:00 am this morning, an exchange of fire between a group of Tuareg rebels and the Malian army can be heard in Aguelhok."

On 21 January, MNLA rebels intercepted a Malian army convoy led by colonel Mohammed Ould Meydou that was bringing several brigades of infantry as reinforcements from the regional capital of Gao in support of the army garrison in Aguelhok. The ambush took place just 15 kilometers south of Aguelhok itself. Only two vehicles managed to escape, while the rest of the convoy was destroyed. The Malian convoy was said to be bringing a large arsenal of weapons that was dispatched following the recapture of Aguelhok on the 18th. Official MNLA spokesman Moussa Ag Acharatoumane claimed that a total of 50 Malian soldiers were killed, 25 captured, 26 vehicles captured, and 40 vehicles were destroyed. The MNLA claims that only two of their fighters were wounded. This statement differs from MNLA spokesmen Mossa Ag Attaher previous claim of killing 101 Malian soldiers and capturing 65 more. According to him more than 40 Malian army all terrain-vehicles were destroyed along with several BRDM-2 armored vehicles being captured. According to Malian authorities, Islamists Ansar Dine fighters took part in the attack. However, Mali's defense ministry confirmed the fighting in Aguelhok but say's there were heavy casualties on both sides, "both human and material".

On 24 January, the MNLA allegedly backed by Islamists attacked the military base in Aguelhok where 160 Malian soldiers were stationed. The Malian army surrendered the base no less than an hour later, allegedly due to the lack of ammunition and supplies. Following the capture the Islamists summarily executed 82-97 Malian soldiers after they surrendered. According to local sources, the massacre was said to be in retribution over the deaths of 35 rebels, killed during the rebel attack on the 17th. Colonel Idrissa Traore, head of the Mali army's information service, claimed the people, who he identified as AQIM (Al-Qaeda in Islamic Magreb) based on the tactic of throat cutting and shots to the head, came in after the capture and carried out the massacre of captive soldiers and civilians. Later, a video was released that showed dead and captured soldiers after the attack on Aguelhok. A soldier identifying himself as Coporal Hassan from the Gao 7th Company, says in the video: "We are 30 prisoners--two Tuareg, four Arab, and others from the south". "We are in the hands of Ansar Dine after the battle in Aguelhok". Images showed rebels firing at a military camp which appeared to be that of Aguelhok. A truck and an armored vehicle were seen in flames. Photographs were also circulated through the web showing the corpses of Malian soldiers in Aguelhok, with their hands tied to their backs. According to a Malian officer involved in burriying those killed reported to have counted the bodies of 97 Malian soldiers all in uniform, which differs from the government's claim losing 82 soldiers in the massacre.

However, a Malian official told AFP that only soldiers were executed and not civilians.

On 25 January, the Malian military conducted air-strikes on rebel positions in Aguelhok with the use of armed helicopter gunships, killing dozens and destroying around several rebel vehicles. Later that day the Malian army claimed to have recaptured Aguelhok, after reports that rebels have fled. When Malian soldiers entered the village that afternoon, they found several bodies on the streets of whom all were identified as civilians by local residents, being the victims of stray bullets and in the military base laid a common open pit, where the bodies of 41 Malian soldiers were discovered.

Prior to its formal investigation in Mali, the International Criminal Court stated that, "Based on the information available, the Aguelhok incident appears grave enough to justify further action by the Court."

Aftermath
Many soldiers accused the government of not giving them enough supplies to fight the rebels, and that the Malian soldiers in Aguelhok were forced to surrender because they ran out of ammunition. As a result of this, many people across southern Mali targeted Tuareg businesses and called for the government to take better action in the rebellion. This later helped lead to the 2012 Malian coup d'etat against the Malian government.