This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-52943692
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Al-Qaeda chief in north Africa Abdelmalek Droukdel killed - France | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| France says it has killed the leader of al-Qaeda in north Africa, Abdelmalek Droukdel, in an operation in Mali. | |
| Defence Minister Florence Parly said Droukdel along with members of his inner circle had been killed in the north of the country on Wednesday. | |
| French forces had also captured a senior Islamic State group commander in Mali in an operation in May, she said. | |
| The "daring operations" had dealt "severe blows to the terrorist groups", she said. | |
| Droukdel was in charge of all the al-Qaeda affiliates in north Africa and also commanded al-Qaeda's Sahel affiliate, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which has been active in Mali and Burkina Faso. | |
| The captured Islamic State group commander, Mohamed Mrabat, was a veteran jihadist and had a senior role in the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) group, she said. | |
| ISGS has been active in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. | |
| Thousands of French troops have been deployed in Mali since 2013. | |
| Its involvement came after Islamist militants overran parts of the north. With the help of France, Mali's army has recaptured the territory, but insecurity continues and violence has spread to neighbouring countries. | |
| Some 4,500 French troops have been serving as part of Operation Barkhane in support of the forces of Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Chad. |