Battle of Konna The Battle of Konna was fought between government forces of Mali and the Islamist Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa ( MOJWA ) . On 10 January 2013 , the Islamists captured the town of Konna in Mali , after fierce fighting with Malian forces . With French help , on 12 January , Mali claimed it successfully recaptured the town , leaving dozens of soldiers and a hundred Islamist fighters dead . Malian control was confirmed six days later . Battle . On 10 January 2013 , Islamist forces captured the strategic town of Konna , previously held by the Malian army . The battle began when rebel fighters , disguised as passengers on a public bus , infiltrated the town after passing a military checkpoint on the Konna - Gao road . After this , the bus was stopped at another checkpoint on the outskirts of Konna . As soldiers entered the bus to search it the Islamists opened fire , killing the soldiers . The heavily armed rebels exited the bus and destroyed the checkpoint as additional fighters arrived in a convoy of jeeps and pickup trucks and spread out across the town . After several hours of fighting the Malian army retreated , abandoning the town to the rebels and reportedly leaving several heavy weapons and armored vehicles . Several public executions took place during the Islamists occupation of Konna , according to Konna residents at least seven Malian soldiers were summarily executed on two separate occasions . Once Malian forces fled , a few soldiers took refuge in the homes of civilians in an attempt to blend in with the local population . However , on one instance two soldiers were caught and had their throats slit by Islamists fighters . The next day , five gravely wounded Malian soldiers being tended by Konna residents , were shot dead by Islamists . An estimated 1 , 200 Islamist fighters advanced to within 20 kilometers of Mopti , a Mali military garrison town . The French saw this as the first step for the militants taking over the South , so they launched an offensive with the Malian government to retake the town . On 11 January , French Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters from the Special forces ( 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment ? ) stopped an Islamist column advancing to Mopti . Four Mirage 2000 - D jets operating from a base in Chad also conducted airstrikes . 12 targets were hit by the Mirages during the night between the 11th and the 12th . The French chief of army staff , Admiral Guillaud , announced that the Islamists had withdrawn from Konna and retreated several dozen kilometres to the north . The air strikes reportedly destroyed half a dozen Islamist armed pick - up trucks and a rebel command centre . One French pilot , Damien Boiteux , was killed after his attack helicopter was hit by ground fire during the operation . The helicopter was later written off as lost . That night , the Malian army , backed by French troops , claimed that they had taken back control of Konna . The Malian army announced they took full control of Konna and that over 100 Islamists were killed . AFP witnesses had seen dozens of Islamist corpses around Konna , with one saying he counted 46 bodies . The French stated four rebel vehicles were hit by their airstrikes , while the Malian army claimed nearly 30 vehicles were bombed . Several dozens of Malian soldiers and 10 civilians were also killed . A resident of Gao , the headquarters of the MUJAO , said that the city ' s hospital had been overwhelmed with dead and wounded . In all , one local resident said he counted 148 bodies in four different locations in the town , among the dead were 36 uniformed soldiers . Others wore traditional robes or turbans . However another resident claims that 25 Malian soldiers were killed by rebels in the initial fight for the town . Other ranges go as far as 58 soldiers killed , according to an unconfirmed military source . A Malian lieutenant said that mopping up operations were taking places around Konna . French special forces were also reported to be on the ground . According to analysts , the French were forced to act sooner than planned because of the importance of Sévaré military airport for further operations . However , on 15 January , the French defense minister confirmed that the Mali military had still not recaptured Konna from rebel forces , despite earlier claims that they did . On 18 January , the Malian army released a statement claiming to have complete control of Konna again . The claim was confirmed by residents of Konna .