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US strike hits 'al-Qaeda militant' in Libya Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Algeria gas plant attack leader 'killed'
(about 1 hour later)
The US military says it has successfully targeted an "al-Qaeda operative" with an air strike in Libya. A senior Islamist militant who ordered the deadly attack on an Algerian gas plant two years ago has been killed in a US air strike, Libyan officials say.
The Pentagon gave few details of the operation, which took place on Saturday night. Mokhtar Belmokhtar and other fighters were killed in the operation, a statement from Libya's government said.
It did not say who had been targeted, but Libya's government said it was Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who ordered the deadly attack on an Algerian gas plant in 2013. However, there have been several false reports of his death in the past.
Libya has been in chaos since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Pentagon said it had targeted a "mid-level" al-Qaeda operative, giving few details.
Rival militia have been battling to fill a power vacuum, with jihadist groups stepping up attacks. It said Saturday's operation had been successful but did not name the target, saying officials were still assessing whether it had been successful.
The nature of the US operation is not clear, but Washington has used drones to strike militants in the region before. Notoriety
Belmokhtar has been reported killed before. He was a former senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), but left to form his own militia. Born in Algeria, Belmokhtar was a former senior figure in al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), but left to form his own militia.
He gained notoriety with the attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria in 2013, when about 800 people were taken hostage and 38 killed.
The US has filed terror charges against him and officials said they believed he remained a threat to Western interests.
Libya said the strike came after consultation with the US.
The country has been in chaos since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Rival militia have been battling to fill a power vacuum, with jihadist groups stepping up attacks.