French ground forces and military helicopters in a combined operation, killed a militant commander linked with Al-Qaida in Mali the French military announced on Friday. According to the French military four others were also killed in the operation.
The operation which was launched on Tuesday, targeted Bah ag Moussa, military chief for the RVIM Islamic extremist group, who had been on a UN sanctions list and was believed to be responsible for multiple attacks on Malian and international forces in the country, French military spokesman Col. Frederic Barbry told reporters on Friday.
Surveillance drones helped French forces in Mali identify Moussa's truck in Mali’s Menaka region, which was then targeted by the helicopters and 15 French commandos were sent to the scene, Barbry said. All five people in the truck were killed after they ignored warning shots and fired on the French forces, he added.
Barbry described the operation as an act of “legitimate defence” and said the bodies were handled “in conformity with international humanitarian law”. He did not comment on whether allied forces including the US contributed intelligence to the operation.
A statement from the French defence minister said Moussa was in charge of training new jihadist recruits. This is the latest of multiple French military operations in Mali in recent weeks that have killed suspected terrorists.
Islamic extremist rebels were forced from power in northern Mali after a 2013 French-led military operation, but regrouped in the desert and now launch frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies.
The French military announced its latest operation on the fifth anniversary of Islamic extremist attacks that killed 130 people in Paris, targeting the Bataclan concert hall, cafes and the national stadium.
