Labbezanga attack

Two attacks were launched by ISGS on December 3; one in Ménaka and one in Labbezanga. The attack in Menaka targeted the pro-government Movement for the Salvation of Azawad (MSA) and GATIA militias, and briefly ended after an hour of fighting.^[3][5] ISSP attacked the Malian fort at Labbezanga while fighting at Menaka raged, with the Menaka attack intended to divert Malian attention and forces away from Labbezanga.^[6] ISSP fighters seized weapons, ammunition, and fuel, and torched the camp before abandoning it.^[7]

Malian officials stated in a report that night that several dozen jihadists were killed and twenty were captured across both attacks, but these reports were unverifiable.^[3] In later reports, the Malian army stated it had conducted air and land counteroffensives against the group.^[6] RFI stated that between thirty and forty Malian soldiers were killed in the attack.^[6] The Malian junta denied the capture of the camp, but photos released by the Islamic State's Amaq News Agency showed the fighters capturing the base. The raid was likely the first confrontation between Wagner mercenaries and ISSP fighters since the mercenaries arrived in Mali earlier that year.^[7]

After the attack subsided, Nigerien soldiers from across the border visited the base to aid Malian soldiers.^[5]

On December 23, 2023, Malian colonel Ibrahim Samassa visited the camp at Labbezanga, which was repopulated by Malian soldiers led by Souleymane Dembele.^[8] Samassa congratulated the soldiers in defending the base after the attack on December 3.^[8] Malian counteroffensive operations were called Operation Moniko, and lasted from December 3 to January 25, 2024. Malian officials claimed that Operation Moniko killed sixty-five jihadists and arrested forty-two others.^[9]