Al-Qaeda leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali' as Chadian armed forces destroy terrorist base
A senior commander for al-Qaeda's north African wing has been killed by Chadian soldiers in Mali. Mokhtar Belmokhtar allegedly masterminded the raid on the gas plant in southern Algeria that left 37 hostages dead. Mokhtar Belmokhtar is said to have led the assault on the In Amenas gas facility in eastern Algeria in January where 37 hostages were killed in the course of a military operation to retake the plant.Belmokhtar's death, if confirmed, would be a major blow to Islamist rebels in northern Mali who have been pushed into their mountain strongholds by French and African forces.The purported killing of Belmoktar comes a day after Chad's president announced that another senior regional commander of al-Qaeda, Abou Zeid, had been eliminated by French and Chadian forces.
French officials so far have not confirmed the killing of either Abou Zeid or Belmokhtar. On Friday, French president Francois Hollande said that terrorist groups in Mali have taken refuge “in an especially difficult zone” but refused to confirm progress until “the end of the operation” is reached.On Saturday, March 2, at noon, Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base. ... The toll included several dead terrorists, including their leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar," Chad's armed forces said in a statement read on national television.Anne Giudicelli, managing director of security consultancy Terrorisc, said the al Qaeda commanders' deaths - if confirmed - would temporarily disrupt the Islamist rebel network but would also raise concern over the fate of seven French hostages believed to be held by Islamists in northern Mali.
Mr Marlboro because of his involvement in cigarette smuggling, was born in Algeria in 1972 and claimed he gained combat experience in Afghanistan before returning to his home nation. The one-eyed gangster had also been dubbed "The Uncatchable" by French intelligence after being linked to a series of kidnappings of foreigners in north Africa over the past decade. Belmokhtar then became a commander in the Mali-based Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb before heading his own Islamist organisation, dubbed the Al-Mulathameen or Masked Brigade.It was this group that claimed responsibility for the Algeria gas plant attack.He is a pirate king of the Sahara," Jon Marks, a specialist in the region at the Chatham House thinktank, said after the gas plant attack. "But like most of these Algerian groups he mixes criminality with ideology, with the balance on either aspect depending on the circumstances.
A senior commander for al-Qaeda's north African wing has been killed by Chadian soldiers in Mali. Mokhtar Belmokhtar allegedly masterminded the raid on the gas plant in southern Algeria that left 37 hostages dead. Mokhtar Belmokhtar is said to have led the assault on the In Amenas gas facility in eastern Algeria in January where 37 hostages were killed in the course of a military operation to retake the plant.Belmokhtar's death, if confirmed, would be a major blow to Islamist rebels in northern Mali who have been pushed into their mountain strongholds by French and African forces.The purported killing of Belmoktar comes a day after Chad's president announced that another senior regional commander of al-Qaeda, Abou Zeid, had been eliminated by French and Chadian forces.
French officials so far have not confirmed the killing of either Abou Zeid or Belmokhtar. On Friday, French president Francois Hollande said that terrorist groups in Mali have taken refuge “in an especially difficult zone” but refused to confirm progress until “the end of the operation” is reached.On Saturday, March 2, at noon, Chadian armed forces operating in northern Mali completely destroyed a terrorist base. ... The toll included several dead terrorists, including their leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar," Chad's armed forces said in a statement read on national television.Anne Giudicelli, managing director of security consultancy Terrorisc, said the al Qaeda commanders' deaths - if confirmed - would temporarily disrupt the Islamist rebel network but would also raise concern over the fate of seven French hostages believed to be held by Islamists in northern Mali.
Mr Marlboro because of his involvement in cigarette smuggling, was born in Algeria in 1972 and claimed he gained combat experience in Afghanistan before returning to his home nation. The one-eyed gangster had also been dubbed "The Uncatchable" by French intelligence after being linked to a series of kidnappings of foreigners in north Africa over the past decade. Belmokhtar then became a commander in the Mali-based Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb before heading his own Islamist organisation, dubbed the Al-Mulathameen or Masked Brigade.It was this group that claimed responsibility for the Algeria gas plant attack.He is a pirate king of the Sahara," Jon Marks, a specialist in the region at the Chatham House thinktank, said after the gas plant attack. "But like most of these Algerian groups he mixes criminality with ideology, with the balance on either aspect depending on the circumstances.
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