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| France confirms death of Islamist commander Abou Zeid | France confirms death of Islamist commander Abou Zeid |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid has been killed in fighting in Mali, the French presidency has confirmed. | Islamist commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid has been killed in fighting in Mali, the French presidency has confirmed. |
| Abou Zeid was a senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). | Abou Zeid was a senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). |
| Earlier, the French newspaper Le Monde said DNA samples had made it possible to formally identify Abou Zeid. | Earlier, the French newspaper Le Monde said DNA samples had made it possible to formally identify Abou Zeid. |
| The Chadian army fighting alongside French forces claimed earlier this month it had killed Abou Zeid and fellow militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar in fighting in February. | |
| "The president of the French Republic confirms with certainty the death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid after an offensive by the French army in the Adrar des Ifoghas (mountains) in the North of Mali, at the end of February," the Elysee presidential palace said. | |
| The statement said the death of "one of the main leaders of AQIM marks an important stage in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel (region)". | |
| The fate of Mokhtar Belmokhtar has yet to be confirmed. | |
| Islamist rebels seized the vast north of Mali a year ago after a military coup in the capital Bamako. They imposed strict Sharia law on the people they controlled. | |
| France intervened militarily in January amid fears that the militants were preparing to advance on Bamako. | |
| Mali's army and troops from several African countries, including 2,000 from Chad, have also been involved in the fighting. |