French soldiers have killed a commander from a jihadist group close to Al-Qaeda that operates along Mali's troubled border with Burkina Faso, the army's general staff announced Thursday.

Nasser Al Tergui was the number two in the Gourma-Serma brigade of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jamaat Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin), the French statement said.

Al Tergui, who joined Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in 2012, had "major operational responsibilities" in the support group.

"He was notably specialised in planting improvised explosive devices", according to the statement.

His death "will reduce the capacity to cause harm of an armed terrorist group known for carrying out attacks against local forces and numerous acts of violence against the local population," it added.

A drone spotted a vehicle believed to be carrying Al Tergui and five other members of the brigade about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Gossi on October 15.

The following day an operation was launched to intercept the vehicle, which refused to stop.

"Two air strikes were unleashed, the vehicle destroyed and the five occupants neutralised," the army said.

The strike comes after Mali's interim government this week entrusted its religious affairs ministry with talking to jihadist groups, a policy fiercely opposed by former colonial power France.

Relations between Bamako and Paris are at their lowest point in years, amid French frustration over a serious of military coups in the west African nation of 19 million people.

Deployed to Mali since 2013 to combat deadly jihadist activity, a force of some 5,000 French troops is now being drawn down, potentially by as much as half by early next year.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Ethiopia launches new air strikes in Tigray
Addis Ababa (AFP) Oct 20, 2021
Ethiopia's military launched new air strikes on Tigray Wednesday, the second round of bombardments this week against rebel targets in the war-battered region. The raids mark a sharp escalation in the brutal year-long conflict pitting government forces and their allies against the Tigray People's Liberation Front, the region's once dominant ruling party. The international community has voiced alarm about the new attacks in the north, where fighting since November has killed thousands of people an ... read more