French Army Kills Senior al-Qaeda Member, 4 Other Terrorists, in Mali Airstrike

A French worker progressive successful the determination anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane stands defender adjacent to a Reaper drone astatine the French subject airbase successful Niamey connected March 14, 2016. (Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images)

The French subject confirmed connected Thursday that an airstrike successful Mali past week killed a starring elder subordinate and 4 different terrorists of the African-based al-Qaeda affiliate Katiba Serma.

Nasser Al Tergui was spotted by a drone connected Oct. 15 portion seated successful a conveyance carrying 5 individuals, according to the French military. The conveyance was moving astir 60 miles northwest of Gossi, a agrarian commune successful Mali.

“The cross-checking of assorted accusation made it imaginable to corroborate the beingness … of Nasser Al Tergui,” the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said successful an Oct. 21 property release, French quality bureau AA reported.

Barkhane subject forces, nether which France has astir 5,100 soldiers deployed crossed 5 countries successful the Sahel region, launched a subject cognition the pursuing time to intercept the vehicle, which refused to stop.

“In practice with the spouse forces, aft having again confirmed the beingness of Nasser Al Tergui aboard the vehicle, the soldiers of the Barkhane unit decided to motorboat an operation,” the service said.

A worker of the French Army launches a mini-drone utilized to cheque the beingness of jihadist groups successful bluish Burkina Faso, connected Nov. 11, 2019. (Michele Cattani/AFP via Getty Images)

Operation Barkhane was launched successful 2014 to combat the jihadi insurgency successful Africa’s Sahel region.

The ministry confirmed that 2 airstrikes were launched astatine the target, which destroyed the conveyance and the 5 Katiba Serma members, an equipped radical affiliated with al Qaeda—a multinational violent web that was founded successful 1988 by Osama bin Laden, among respective others.

Al Tergui’s death “will trim the capableness to origin harm of an equipped violent radical known for carrying retired attacks against section forces and galore acts of unit against the section population,” the service said successful a connection that was obtained by quality bureau AFP.

The jihadist commandant joined al-Qaeda successful 2012 and had “major operational responsibilities” successful the violent group, it added.

“He was notably specialized successful planting improvised explosive devices,” according to the statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.

From NTD News