On December 19, 2018, a nomadic camp in the village of Abanguilou, near Andéramboukane, was attacked by armed men, allegedly ISGS militants. The attackers executed six civilians, and looted the camp.[1][2]
Battle
Following the attack on the nomadic camp, Tuareg fighters in the MSA set off in pursuit of the ISGS militants, who were fleeing towards the border with Niger.[1][2] The MSA fighters caught up, and clashes broke out between the two groups.
That same day, a French MQ-9 drone flying above Niger spotted a group of men on eight motorcycles heading back towards the border with Mali.[3][1] Once the group crossed the border, and was assessed by French officials as being the perpetrators of the Abanguilou killings, the militants were killed by a French airstrike.[4] French ground forces were then deployed.[1] The ground forces, when assessing the damage, discovered a Glock-19 pistol that belonged to Jeremiah W. Johnson, an American soldier killed in the Tongo Tongo ambush a year prior.[5]
Aftermath
The MSA stated in a press release that three fighters were killed in the clashes, and two were wounded. The group also stated a dozen ISGS fighters were killed. The French army stated six jihadists were killed and five motorcycles were destroyed.[2][4][3]
