On the map, Anefis looks like an insignificant desert settlement, a small town of only a couple dozen homes situated along the road between Gao and the eastern city of Kidal. But a look further west reveals a massive garrison. Four walls, each around 450 metres in length, form a giant square in the sand, shielding dozens of military vehicles and hundreds of troops within. This month, that garrison became the main target of the latest insurgent offensive in northern Mali.
On July 4, a coalition of Tuareg forces and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists attacked Anefis and quickly overran the town. Malian government forces and Russian mercenaries were overwhelmed and withdrew behind the walls of their garrison. What ensued was a siege with FPV drones, piloted by Tuareg rebels, picking their targets in the garrison one-by-one. On the monitor screens of other drones circling above the garrison, soldiers were seen scattering for safety, unable to mount any effective counteroffensive.
