Following a raid that claimed the lives of numerous rebels, Mali’s army declared on Tuesday that it had recaptured the northern city of Kidal.

Independent observers have not verified the alleged capture, but it would represent a symbolic win for Mali’s army, which has been mostly unable to enter the capital due to ethnic Tuareg rebels’ control over much of the country’s north.

“Kidal has been taken seized by our security and armed personnel today. President Assimi Goita, the head of Mali’s junta, stated on X that “our mission is not complete.” “As I recall, it entails regaining and safeguarding the territory’s integrity, without exception, in compliance with the [U.N. Security Council] resolution.”

The army of Mali claimed to have ordered the 25,000-person town to remain peaceful and to submit to the military.

Kidal’s phone lines were severed by rebel leaders who anticipated a military invasion, making it difficult to get in touch with the isolated town. Regarding the purported takeover, the insurgents have not responded.

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The army was repeatedly defeated in the Kidal region between 2012 and 2014, and since then, it has been unable to establish any kind of presence in the area, which has long upset the Mali government.

Following a coup in Bamako in 2012, which gave militants control of the northern half of the nation, Mali has seen a great deal of bloodshed.

Although Islamist militants with ties to Islamic State and al-Qaida went on to slaughter thousands of civilians, the U.N. mediated a peace agreement between the rebels and the Mali government in 2015.

Following a coup in 2020, Mali’s military took control and ordered the departure of UN forces, sparking conflict between the rebels and the military over UN-vacated territory.

This report contains certain information that was sourced from Reuters and Agence France Presse.