2016 Aguelhok ambush
2016 militants attack on Chadian forces in Aguelhok, Mali
On May 18, 2016, militants from Ansar Dine ambushed Chadian forces north of Aguelhok, Mali.
Background
Aguelhok had been the site of a massacre by Tuareg separatists in the early days of the Mali War. Afterwards, Chadian peacekeepers as part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) staffed a base there.
Ambush
Around 5 pm, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Aguelhok, the Chadian peacekeepers hit a mine laid by Ansar Dine on the road, while they were escorting a logistics convoy. Four soldiers were killed in the initial blast, prompting jihadists on the east and west ditches to open fire on the convoy, with Chadian soldiers fighting back. The attackers stalled after a period of time, possibly fleeing. A MINUSMA plane flew over the site that night, and Chadian soldiers conducted patrols in the area the next day.
Aftermath
The attack was claimed on May 19 by Ansar Dine in a press release by Noureddine Ag Mohamed. Mohamed claimed "many enemies have remained lying down forever", but did not give a toll. MINUSMA announced that same day that five Chadian soldiers were killed in the ambush, and three were injured.
The public source identifies “2016 Aguelhok ambush” as 2016 militants attack on Chadian forces in Aguelhok, Mali. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Aguelhok, ambush and militants.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “2016 Aguelhok ambush”, the useful work is to connect “2016 militants attack on Chadian forces in Aguelhok, Mali” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q56302564. Authority coordinates are 19.465, 0.855. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2016.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “2016 Aguelhok ambush”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 2016 Aguelhok ambush primary sources, 2016 Aguelhok ambush archive and Aguelhok research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “2016 Aguelhok ambush”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “2016 Aguelhok ambush” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.