The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) said on Tuesday it was carrying out a "controlled withdrawal" from Kidal, the strategic northern Mali town it seized with al Qaeda-linked fighters during nationwide attacks six months ago. The separatist movement said the decision followed airstrikes by Mali's military backed by Russian fighters. It called the move a temporary operational measure to preserve its fighters and logistics, adding that no direct combat had yet pitted its forces against the enemy. Earlier on Tuesday, Mali's army said it had launched large-scale air and ground operations in the Kidal region to track down armed groups and destroy their supply networks. A source close to the FLA leadership told Reuters the aerial operations began three days ago. Pro-government fighters, including Russian fighters, re-entered Kidal on Tuesday afternoon, a security source said. Mali's junta leaders, who took power in coups in 2020 and 2021, have leaned on Russian security support for years, first from Wagner and now the Africa Corps. The FLA and the al Qaeda affiliate JNIM seized Kidal again in April in attacks that killed Mali's defence minister. Analysts called the withdrawal a symbolic boost for the army, but not a decisive victory.