A separatist movement in northern Mali announced this Tuesday it was carrying out “a controlled withdrawal” from a strategic town in ‌the north that it seized along with al Qaeda-linked jihadists during nationwide attacks six months ago.

The decision to leave Kidal came in response to airstrikes by Mali’s military backed by Russian fighters, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) said ⁠in a statement.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mali’s military said it had launched large-scale air and ground operations in the region of Kidal.

A source close to the FLA leadership told Reuters on Tuesday that the aerial operations began three days ago.

It was not immediately clear on Tuesday how close Malian troops were to the town and whether they would immediately re-occupy ‌it.

Mali’s ⁠leaders took power in military coups in 2020 and 2021 and have leaned on Russian security support for years, first from the Wagner military group and since last year from the paramilitary ⁠group Africa Corps, which is made up of many former Wagner fighters.

Malian forces and Wagner fighters retook Kidal from insurgents in November ⁠2023, the most concrete gain from their partnership.

But the FLA and the regional al Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam ⁠wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM, seized the town again in nationwide attacks in April that also killed Mali’s Defence Minister.

–Reuters–