On January 4, 2024, the Malian military acquired six Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones. The military authorities say the drones will be used to “surveil the national territory, detect suspicious targets, track them and strike them, if necessary, with surgical precision.”  Mali has been looking alternative suppliers of weapons after distancing itself from France. Weapon deliveries include those from Russia that took place in March and August 2022 and in January 2023.