France said on Friday its military forces had killed al Qaeda's North Africa chief Abdelmalek Droukdel during an operation in northern Mali, a key fighter that its forces had been hunting for more than seven years.
"On June 3, French army forces with the support of their local partners, killed al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's emir, Abdelmalek Droukdel, and several of his closest collaborators, during an operation in northern Mali," French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly wrote on Twitter.
Droukdel was among North Africa’s most experienced militants and was one of those who took part in the militant takeover of northern Mali before a French military intervention in 2013 drove them back and scattered fighters across the Sahel region.
Droukdel was believed to be hiding in the mountains of northern Algeria. The group operates across northern Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Algeria.
Please click to read our informative text prepared pursuant to the Law on the Protection of Personal Data No. 6698 and to get information about the cookies used on our website in accordance with the relevant legislation.
6698 sayılı Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu uyarınca hazırlanmış aydınlatma metnimizi okumak ve sitemizde ilgili mevzuata uygun olarak kullanılan çerezlerle ilgili bilgi almak için lütfen tıklayınız.