FRENCH FORCES KILL TOP AL-QUEDA LEADER IN MALI
French forces have killed Bah Ag Moussa, a top Commander of an al-Queda armed group in Mali.
This was announced by the French Defence Minister, Florence Parly, on Friday, November 13.
Bah Ag Moussa, the military head of the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), and was believed to be behind multiple attacks on both Malian and international forces.
Parly said he was killed on Tuesday in an operation executed by ground forces and military helicopters in eastern Mali, near Menaka.
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“A historic figure of the jihadist movement in the Sahel, Bah ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces,” Parly said in a statement.
Moussa, also known as Bamoussa Diarra, was a former Malian army colonel and figured on the US terrorism list.
He was considered to be a right-hand man of Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Mali’s most prominent armed group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).
The group has repeatedly attacked soldiers and civilians in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso.
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Moussa’s killing came after a series of operations that have seen French forces kill dozens of armed fighters in recent weeks.
“This is a major success in the fight against terrorism that France is leading with partners in the Sahel,” Parly said.
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