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French forces kill commander with al Qaeda branch in Mali
Source: Reuters
World | Tue Jul 7, 2015 10:34am EDT
French forces kill commander with al Qaeda branch in Mali
PARIS/NOUAKCHOTT | BY MARINE PENNETIER AND KISSIMA DIAGANA
France's army confirmed on Tuesday that its special forces had killed a prominent commander with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the group's north African branch, during a weekend operation in the northern Mali region of Kidal.
France led a military operation to drive Islamist militant groups, including AQIM, out of northern Mali in 2013 after they seized the vast, desert zone a year earlier amid a Tuareg uprising.
However, Islamist militants have intensified operations this year raising regional fears of a spillover in violence, with Malian group Ansar Dine claiming responsibility for a series of recent attacks against U.N. soldiers and Malian army targets.
The French army said it had killed Mohamed Ali Ag Wadossene, identified as a local operations chief for AQIM, during an operation in Mali's Kidal region on Sunday.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
French forces kill commander with al Qaeda branch in Mali
PARIS/NOUAKCHOTT | BY MARINE PENNETIER AND KISSIMA DIAGANA
France's army confirmed on Tuesday that its special forces had killed a prominent commander with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the group's north African branch, during a weekend operation in the northern Mali region of Kidal.
France led a military operation to drive Islamist militant groups, including AQIM, out of northern Mali in 2013 after they seized the vast, desert zone a year earlier amid a Tuareg uprising.
However, Islamist militants have intensified operations this year raising regional fears of a spillover in violence, with Malian group Ansar Dine claiming responsibility for a series of recent attacks against U.N. soldiers and Malian army targets.
The French army said it had killed Mohamed Ali Ag Wadossene, identified as a local operations chief for AQIM, during an operation in Mali's Kidal region on Sunday.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/07/us-mali-fighting-idUSKCN0PG1A120150707
