France announces killing of top al-Qaeda leader in northern Mali

SANAA, June 6 (YPA) – The French army carried out an offensive resulting in killing of a top leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in northern Mali, France’s Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Friday.

French forces have killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in (AQIM), Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdel and several of his closest aides in an operation in northern Mali, Florence Parly said in a series of tweets.

Droukdel was killed on Thursday in the northwest Mali town of Tessalit. “Many of his close associates” were also “neutralised”, Parly explained.

“I congratulate and thank all those who have enabled and carried out these daring operations that hit these terrorist groups so badly,” Parly added.

The French defence minister continued: “Our forces, in cooperation with their partners in the Five Sahel region, will continue to pursue these groups relentlessly.”

“Operations against Daesh (ISIS) will also continue in the Sahara, as the other major terrorist threat in the region,” she said.

She confirmed that “On May 19th, the French armed forces arrested Mohamed Al-Morabet, a jihadist veteran in the Sahel and he is an important member of terrorist organizations.” Barley said.

“At the Bow summit on January 13, the heads of state of France and the five core Sahel countries confirmed their determination to continue their efforts to fight terrorist groups operating in the Sahel and Sahara sector,” she concluded.

E.M