French fighters, supported by an unmanned aerial vehicle, tracked down and eliminated a group of Islamists in Mali preparing to launch an attack. In addition to the loss of manpower of the opponent, weapons and equipment were obtained from a broken terrorist group.
The French authorities said that a group of over 50 terrorists had been eliminated in the course of the military operation in Mali. They were supposed to die mainly as a result of French air strikes carried out in the central part of this African country. It is noted that the attacked group was associated with the Al-Qaeda faction operating in this part of the world. The actions themselves against terrorists took place on October 30, but it was not until Monday for operational reasons that representatives of the French Ministry of Defense confirmed this fact. Specifying that the focus was on areas where Mali government troops clashed with Islamists. The toughest fights are to be waged near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger.
The French emphasized that the forces operating in this region of the world as part of the Barkhane operation, neutralized over 50 jihadists belonging to Ansarul Islam. Moreover, some weapons and weapons resources belonging to terrorists have been secured. In the course of combat operations, as indicated, about 30 motorcycles used by Islamists for fast travel were destroyed. The attacked group was supposed to make a mistake in concentrating into one, compact column and thus was detected as part of the ISR activities conducted by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). As the terrorists tried to get out of sight, the French took up two Mirage 2000 manned machines in the air, and they finally attacked the targeted targets.
Four terrorists escaped from the attack and were detained, as indicated by Colonel Frederic Barbry. The inspection of the site of the attack was to lead to the conclusion that the targeted group was probably preparing to attack one of the military installations in Mali, and maybe also outside this country, especially since it was operated in the border area. In addition to weapons and means of transport, shahid belts (i.e. vests filled with explosives that could be used for suicide attacks) were also discovered.
This is not the only operation against terrorists in Africa mentioned by the French. Other actions were to be taken in the Sahara region with the use of a grouping of up to 3,000. military. In this case, the actions are aimed at the structures of groups affiliated with the so-called Islamic State (Da’ish). However, due to its continuation (activities were to be initiated last month) and the need to keep the secrecy protecting the soldiers in the field, the public is to be informed about the details at a later date.
The French media also reminds that the administration in Paris has recently managed to peacefully release also the French citizen Sophie Petronin in Mali. She was kidnapped in Gao city four years ago and has been in captivity ever since. Ultimately, the authorities of Mali and France were to negotiate her release in exchange for over 100 suspected of collaborating with Islamists. Along with Petronin, an important politician from Mali Soumail Cissé was released as part of the exchange. As you can see, thanks to the recovery of its own citizen in October this year, the French military was able to proceed to a more effective crackdown on terrorist groups. Without risking Petronin’s death and the execution made public by the Islamists.
French troops have killed the leader of Al-Qaeda in North Africa
French troops have killed the leader of Al Qaeda in North Africa during an operation in Mali, reported on June 6 this year BulgarianMilitary.com citing French Defense Minister Florence Parley statement. “On June 3, the French armed forces, with the support of local partners, neutralized the Emir of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb countries, Abdelmalek Droukdel, and several of his close accomplices during an operation in northern Mali.” Parley said.
The minister said recent military operations, along with the May 19 capture of Mohammed al-Mrabat, a veteran jihadist who held senior positions in the Islamic State in Greater Sahara, had dealt a “heavy blow” to terrorist groups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Abdelmalek Droukdel was a key figure in al Qaeda, subject to years of persecution. His group, the Islamic Maghreb, was particularly active in fighting in Mali before French troops intervened in 2013 in the Sahel region of North Africa.
The group has amassed millions from kidnapping foreigners for ransom and has turned much of West Africa into a very dangerous place for many international organizations helping the local population. Also known as Abu Musab Abdul Wadud, Abdelmalek Droukdel fought in the Algerian civil war in the 1990s and later joined Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, spreading movement through the Sahel region of Africa under the umbrella of the global terrorist network. .
French troops in the region, numbering about 5,200 people, intervened after jihadists seized territory in northern Mali and the violence spread to neighboring countries, the BBC reported.
About Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda emerged on the territory of Afghanistan in the late 80s of the last century. The main culprits for the emergence of this terrorist organization are the Soviet Union and the United States. The USSR sent troops into the territory of an independent country, upsetting the delicate balance between the various national and religious groups living on it. Since then, the Afghan land can only dream of peace.
The Americans, on the other hand, did not think of anything better than how to use radical Muslim organizations to fight the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. From the moment the Soviet aggression began, the United States supported and generously financed the Islamists in every possible way, training camps were opened for them, the mujahideen groups did not know a shortage of weapons.
A jihad was declared to the Soviet troops in Afghanistan, volunteers to fight the infidels came from various Muslim countries. Secular regimes in Muslim countries caused no less rage among fanatics, they considered them traitors who deserved death. Afghanistan has become a real snake’s nest for many years.
The founder and spiritual leader of Al-Qaeda is Osama bin Laden, who from the very beginning of the struggle against Soviet troops took an active part in it. A Saudi millionaire from a very wealthy family, he helped the Mujahideen for a long time with money, weapons and food. For this, he gained wide popularity in the Islamic world. In 1988, Osama bin Laden founded a new Islamist organization, Al-Qaeda. For many years his name and the name of this group will be inseparable, and he himself will turn into the number 1 terrorist in the world.
In 1996, Osama bin Laden was expelled from Sudan and had to return to Afghanistan. The expulsion from Sudan greatly weakened al-Qaeda and its head: bin Laden lost his business and several tens of millions of dollars. In August 1996, he declared war on the United States. On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in his own home in Abbottabad (Pakistan) as a result of an operation by the US Navy SEALs special forces. His body was identified and buried at sea.
After the death of Osama bin Laden, leadership of the Ayman al-Zawahiri organization. Al-Qaeda has a governing body – Shura, which includes eight committees: on religion, public relations, military, finance and others. The most influential of these is the religious one. It is Shura who makes the most important decisions. Al-Qaeda cells exist in 34 [according to other sources, almost 80] countries of the world. The structure of the organization resembles a political party: if one leader is eliminated, the next one on the list takes his place.