The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) announced that its air defenses had accurately struck a Malian military aircraft attempting to target one of its patrols. According to the statement, the plane dropped its explosives on the intended zone—causing no human or material damage—before crashing into the Niger River near the city of Gao.
The statement also confirmed that the two pilots, identified as Russian nationals, were seriously injured and later rescued by local fishermen using traditional wooden canoes.
This incident comes just one day after the FLA claimed responsibility for a military operation that reportedly killed dozens of fighters, including mercenaries from the Russian African Corps, and left several others wounded.
The group further reported the destruction of 21 Malian military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and tank transporters, during a clash with a convoy traveling from Gao toward Aguelhok.
Tensions have been steadily escalating between the Russian-backed Malian army and the Azawad Liberation Front, especially following the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers and the rise of the “African Corps” as a replacement for the Wagner Group.
