Malian forces entered the northern rebel-held town of Kidal after inflicting heavy losses and conducting a raid, interim President Assimi Goita tweeted.
"[...] Thanks to the courage and determination of our FAMAs, a raid was carried out within a few days and the GAT [Armed Terrorist Groups] suffered heavy losses. Today, our armed and security forces have seized Kidal," Goita wrote.
He emphasized, however, that the mission of the army has not been completed, since "it consists in recovering and securing the integrity of the territory, without any exclusion."
The army announced the launch of a ground operation to capture the last towns in the Kidal region on Sunday. Ahead of the announcement, the military intensified airstrikes against the positions of armed separatist groups.
Kidal is the site of a base that the UN Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) left at the end of October. The base has since fallen into rebel hands, and the army has been trying to regain control of the camp and the town.
On June 30, at the request of the Malian government, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to end the peacekeeping mission in the West African country. The withdrawal of the troops should be completed by December 31, 2023.
This summer, however, the government said that MINUSMA's decade-long presence in the country had failed to adequately address the security situation and contributed to escalating tensions.