BREAKING: #France Minister of the Armed Forces @florence_parly confirms French, partner forces killed the leader of #alQaida in the Islamic Maghreb (#AQIM) during a June 3 operation in northern #Mali
Per @florence_parly #AQIM leader Abdelmalek Droukdel was a member of #alQaida's steering committee and helped oversee all Al Qaida affiliated groups in northern #Africa, including JNIM
.@USTreasury sanctioned Abdelmalek #Droukdel in 2007, citing his involvement with attacks on the 2007 Algerian prime minister's office and a Dec 2006 attack on a US bus company in Algiers
treasury.gov/press-center/p…
Per @FightExtremism, #AQIM Emir Abdelmalek Droukdel also named former AQI leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as his mentor
counterextremism.com/extremists/abd…
NEW: @USAfricaCommand assisted #France operation that killed #AQIM emir "with intelligence and ISR support to fix the target" per AFRICOM's Col. Chris Karns
Removal of #AQIM emir "significant & reflects the commitment & tremendous support being provided by the French in West #Africa" per @USAfricaCommand's Col. Karns
"This mission is a collective win"
Death of Abdelmalek Droukdel "definitely is a blow to #AQIM and certainly degrades their ability to plan and carry out operations" per @USAfricaCommand's Col Karns
MORE: #alQaida in the Islamic Maghreb Emir Abdelmalek Droukdel was seeking to expand #AQIM's territorial control in #Mali, making #France's operation critical, per US official
Droukdel also was involved in all aspect of AQIM operations...which could make him hard to replace
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.