Death of Abdelmalek Droukdel in Mali: the French army delivers the details of the operation

French soldiers of Operation Barkhane in Mali, July 2019 (illustration image). Reuters / Benoit Tessier

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Abdelmalek Droukdel, head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group in the Islamic Maghreb, was killed by French soldiers on June 3 in northern Mali. The military operation that led to this elimination took place in the Tessalit region, not far from the Algerian border. This Thursday morning, the French General Staff unveiled the story.

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This Wednesday , June 3 , in the early afternoon, in a desert area and difficult to approach, everything went very quickly. While the intelligence services , supported by the American ally, had known for two days that there was in the region a target of interest, the French soldiers managed to identify a 4x4 vehicle in a mass of rocks, not far from Tessalit.

It was then that the helicopters arose. Two Caracals with, on board, fifteen commandos supported by two combat helicopters. At this moment, the terrorists, five in number, are not in the vehicle, they bivouac a few meters away, sitting on a mat.

One survivor among terrorists

In the images shot during the operation, we see them fleeing suddenly in all directions, hiding in the rocks and firing on the French soldiers who were on the ground. "  When we do these operations , says the staff, the goal is not to kill, but opposite they are fighters, they do not surrender.  The special forces made only one prisoner, a second knife member of the escort.

Among the dead formally identified are Abdelmalek Droukdel and Toufik Chaïb, the head of propaganda. In accordance with the laws of war, they were buried on the spot. Telephones and a computer were seized, their contents will make it possible to specify the reasons for the presence in the north of Mali of the emir of Aqmi, hopes the staff.

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  • Mali
  • France
  • al-Qaeda
  • Defense
  • Terrorism

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