The successful offensive gives the military a crucial position just 100 kilometers from Kidal, a highly strategic town that was captured by al Qaeda-linked militants and Tuareg separatists in April.

The conflict escalated on Saturday when the same rebel groups launched coordinated attacks on Anefis. While the insurgent forces managed to seize the town, they failed to take a vital local military camp. Malian soldiers remained behind to defend the base.

To break the siege, reinforcements consisting of dozens of vehicles and backed by air support set out from the city of Gao.

According to the media reports, the convoy pushed through despite facing repeated rebel attacks along the way, arriving Thursday evening to reclaim the town.

"Malian troops and the Africa Corps partners broke through the obstacles and arrived in Anefis to reinforce our troops who were on the ground", a Mali military source said as cited by Africa News.

Following the arrival of the military reinforcements, the rebel coalition withdrew from the town.

A spokesperson for the Tuareg separatists said the group had "decided to leave Anefis for strategic reasons and to avoid civilian casualties."