One-eyed jihadi commander dubbed 'uncatchable' targeted in US airstrikes in Libya
Belmokhtar was the leader of the north African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
PUBLISHED : Monday, 15 June, 2015, 9:37am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 16 June, 2015, 1:50am
Agence France-Presse in Benghazi
Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar. Photo: AFP
Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who allegedly masterminded the siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 hostages died, has been killed in a US air strike, Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Sunday.
“American jets conducted an operation which resulted in the deaths of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a group of Libyans belonging to a terrorist organisation in eastern Libya,” said the statement, which was posted on Facebook.
The Pentagon said Belmokhtar had been the target of the strike but did not confirm he had been killed.
One-eyed Islamist commander Belmokhtar was the leader of the north African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Wanted for terrorist activities in several countries, he was the alleged mastermind behind the 2013 siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 mostly Western hostages were killed.
“I can confirm that the target of last night’s counterterrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a statement.
“The strike was carried out by US aircraft. We are continuing to assess the results of the operation and will provide more details as appropriate.”
The US did not immediately confirm more details of the operation. Washington has in the past used drones to strike targets in the region.
The Libyan statement said the operation took place “after consultation with the Libyan transitional government” based in the eastern city of Tobruk.
Libyan government sources said the strikes had targeted positions south of Ajdabiya, some 160 kilometres west of Benghazi.
Belmokhtar was previously thought to have been killed in Mali, but security sources said last year that he had moved into Libya.
The Al-Murabitoun group was born out of a merger between Belmokhtar’s ”Signatories in Blood” and Mujao, one of the jihadist groups that had seized control of northern Mali in early 2012 to 2013.
Al-Murabitoun last month said it had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group -- but Belmokhtar immediately distanced himself from the declaration and vowed continued backing for al-Qaeda in what was interpreted as evidence of a serious power struggle within the group.
Reports named a rival jihadist, Adnan Abu Walid Sahraoui, as the group’s new leader, sparking questions over Belmokhtar’s fate.
Libya has descended into chaos since a Nato-backed revolt unseated long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. It has rival governments and parliaments, and powerful militias are battling for influence and a share of its oil wealth.
Jihadist groups have exploited the lawlessness, which has also prompted a huge influx of migrants trying to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe, with shipwrecks leaving hundreds dead and the EU straining to respond.
