The battle was a turning point in the war, as with the capture of the Tigharghar, the jihadists lose their main sanctuary in the Sahel as well as most of their military arsenal, taken from the Malian army or Libya .

[2][3][4] The evening of January 29, 2013, a flight of helicopters, including two Tigers, a Gazelle and four Puma reach Kidal airport and disembark 30 French soldiers of the CPA-10 and the Penfentenyo commando against MNLA pick-ups.

Then on the evening of February 2, a first mass air raid struck the interior of the mountain; four Mirage and four Rafale destroy twelve objectives, supported by three Atlantic, a Harfang drone, an AWACS and Tiger helicopters.

[7][8] On 1 February, a column of fifteen vehicles of the MNLA and thirty men from the French Special Forces leave Kidal to conduct a joint operation towards the Adrar Tigharghar .

Finally, a sub-GTIA party from Gao, consisting mainly of soldiers from 1 RIMa and forming a column of 90 vehicles, arrives at the scene and invests the military camp of Amachach.

In comparison with the Taliban, which the French also faced in Afghanistan, the jihadists of Mali were considered better organized and more tenacious, able to sacrifice themselves while the Afghan insurgents used to flee to limit the losses.

The objective was to find the forces of AQIM and Ansar Dine, as the army had knowledge that jihadists were present in the Tigharghâr but did not know what their defense system and the areas they intend to protect as a priority.

Commander Abdel Aziz Hassane Adam, leader of the special forces in Mali and number two of the Directorate of Reserved Actions (DAR), is among the dead.

The only two doctors and nurses in the Chadian column were overwhelmed and the French had to send two Puma helicopters to evacuate the wounded by rotation to Tessalit's vital surgery module (MCV).

Some are ambushed at the top of the ridges, others on the counterpoise or in a green zone below, entrenched in huts or hidden in holes[102][103][104][41] About ten porpoises moved on a height and aviation intervenes according to their indications.

Exchanges of artillery and light weapon fire lasted several hours, but the French held the summit of the ridges and the attempts of the jihadists to circumvent them were repulsed.

The same day, Paris-Match reports that according to the MNLA and notables of the city of Kidal, 45 men of AQIM and Ansar Dine were killed on Saturday, February 23 by an air raid of the French army in the area.

For its part, the French newspaper Le Monde announces on March 1 that the death of Abu Zeid is confirmed by a "reliable source close to the ongoing military operations in northern Mali . "

[18][111][112] In January 2014, in Kidal, AFP journalist Serge Daniel meets a young Touareg from Tessalit nicknamed "Tic - Tac", a battle survivor in Tigharghar.

Then on Saturday, March 2, Chad claimed the death of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and said: "Chadian forces in Mali have totally destroyed the main base of jihadists in the Adrar mountains of Ifoghas, more precisely in the valley.

[113][114][115] However, on 4 March, the Mauritanian agency Sahara Media announces that according to the statements posted on the same day by an AQIM member, Abu Zeid was killed "by a French aerial bombardment in the mountains" and "not by the Chadians " The jihadist also denies the death of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and claims that the latter fights in the region of Gao and not in the Adrar of Ifoghas.

On March 3 and 4, the special forces went on the spot by helicopter and collected fragments on the body which were then given to the DRS, the Algerian intelligence services, to be compared with members of his family.

On 1 April, following contact with the Nouakchott Information Agency, Belmokhtar's death is belied by Hamada Ould Mohamed Kheirou, head of MUJAO, and by Moghrane, spokesman for Katiba "Al- Mouthalimin "(the turbaned), Signatories by blood.

[109][62][118][119][22][120][121] On February 28, GTIA 3 continued slowly west of Amettetai, uncovering several weapons stocks as deminers probe the terrain for mines and FDI.

The valley then undergoes its most massive bombardment since the beginning of the battle; shots of helicopters, mortars, more than 20 explosive shells shipped by Caesar and fourteen other smoke bombs to cover infantry advance.

[127][130] According to the French staff, the day's record is of more than fifteen "neutralized" Islamists, three destroyed pick-ups and three important caches of ammunition, equipment and several heavy weapons seized.

[139][140][141] After the capture of the Ametettai valley, the fighting decreased in intensity, the French and Chadians continued the excavations in the Adrar Tigharghar and punctually encountering a few scattered small groups.

According to a statement from the Defense Ministry, he addresses the troops "a message of pride and encouragement for the mission they perform against terrorist groups that had made the massive Ifoghas their sanctuary".

The paratroopers do not encounter any resistance on the heights of Tahor, some empty pickups are bombarded by the air force and quickly the soldiers discover arms depots and food in shooting positions.

[166][167][168] On March 26, a company of the 2ond REP and another from the 1st RCP leads Operation Tigris in the town of Tessalit to search the city and to ensure the absence of any jihadi presence.

Generals Barrera and Bikimoand Colonel Gougeon then meet the notables and residents indicate the location of depots of weapons, medical equipment and ammunition.

In May, all the GTIAs engaged in Operation Serval were relieved and returned to France after a stopover in Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, to decompress at the request of General Barrera.

Chadians, on the other hand, remain deployed much longer in the Kidal region; in September 160 soldiers of the Tessalit garrison desert the Amachach military camp after having complained of not having been relieved after nine months of mission in the great north of Mali.

The jihadists left hundreds of dead in the first months of Operation Serval, and according to General Barrera, after their defeat in the Tigharghâr;"They are no longer able to occupy the field, nor numerous enough to fight a classic battle.

The jihadists then change their tactics and go to guerrilla warfare; they carry out suicide attacks, ambush, fire rockets at military barracks, lay mines and IEDs on the roads, and kill supporters of the Malian government or the Tuareg rebellion.