Chadian forces lost 13 men and killed 65 militants in fighting last weekend.

Chad's military over the weekend said 13 of its soldiers and 65 Islamist rebels were killed in heavy fighting in the mountains of northern Mali near the Algerian border on Friday, February 22, 2013, Ahram newspaper reported. These are the heaviest losses by any side since the beginning of the offensive last month.

A statement from the Chadian Army high command regretted the death of the 13 soldiers, saying a provisional toll showed that five enemy vehicles were destroyed. USA Today reported that six Chadian soldiers were wounded in the clashes that took place in the Adrar des Ifoghas Mountains of north-eastern Mali. News of the battle came after two suicide car bombers targeted ethnic Tuareg forces in the northern town of Tessalit, killing three people, the New Vision newspaper of Uganda said.

French President, François Hollande yesterday, February 24, 2013 said his country's forces were engaged in what he described as the final phase of the fight against militants in northern Mali. France intervened in its former West African colony last month to stop a southward offensive by Islamist rebels who seized control of the north last April. Troops from African nations have since deployed to Mali and are expected to take over when French forces begin a planned withdrawal next month.

But French and allied forces are increasingly facing a guerrilla campaign that includes sudden raids, suicide attacks and land mines. Earlier this month, Chad deployed 1,800 soldiers in the northern city of Kidal to secure what had been the rebels' last urban stronghold. Meanwhile, a US defence official over the weekend confirmed reports that drones or pilotless aircraft were already deployed in Niamey, the Niger capital with 100 Air Force personnel. President Barack Obama on February 22, 2013 announced the imminent arrival in Niger of US troops to provide intelligence to French forces and what he described as other partners in the region.