Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 05 Jun 2020, 08:21 pm Print
Wikimedia Commons
Paris/Sputnik: Abdelmalek Droukdel, head of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb terror group (banned in Russia), has been killed by French troops in northern Mali, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said.
"The French troops supported by partners neutralized on June 3 Emir of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), Abdelmalek Droukdel, and many his close affiliates during an operation in northern Mali," Parly wrote on her Twitter page on late Friday.
The minister added that Droukdel had led all the AQMI operations in northern Africa and the region of Sahel.
The situation in Mali was destabilized in 2012 when the Tuareg militants seized vast territories in the northern part of the country.
The conflict escalated even more over the activities of Islamists, forces loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as well as French interference.
The AQIM has been operating in North Africa and the Sahel since 2007.
- Gunmen open fire on vehicle in Pakistan, 42 Shiites die
- Pakistan: TV journalist injured after unknown gunmen attack him in Karachi
- Twelve security personnel, six terrorists killed in Pakistan's Mali Khel area
- Several nations condemn suicide blast in Pakistan railway station
- Seven people, including five minors, die in blast in Pakistan
