This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Al-Qaeda-linked militant leader 'killed in US air strike in Libya'
Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Al-Qaeda-linked militant leader 'killed in US air strike in Libya'
(about 1 hour later)
The U.S. military has launched weekend airstrikes targeting and likely killing an al-Qaida-linked militant leader in eastern Libya who was charged with leading the deadly attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013. The airstrikes were launched after consultation with the Libyan government.
An Islamist militant charged with leading deadly attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013. has been killed in a US air strike on Libya, officials said on Sunday.
The 2013 attack on the Algerian gas plant killed more than 35 hostages, including three Americans.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was among fighters killed in the city of Ajdabiya, Libyan officials said. The US government confirmed that warplanes were sent to target the al-Qaida-linked leader.
The Libyan government said warplanes targeted and killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar and several others in eastern Libya. A U.S. official said two F-15 fighter jets launched multiple 500-pound (225-kilogram) bombs in the attack. The official was not authorized to discuss the details of the attack publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.
The US charged Belmokhtar with terrorism offenses in connection with the Algeria attack in which 800 people were taken hostage and 40 were killed, according to the BBC.
U.S. officials said they are still assessing the results of the Saturday strike, but Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said the military believes the strike was successful and hit the target. Neither U.S. officials nor the Libyan government provided proof of Belmokhtar's death, which likely requires a DNA test or an announcement by Belmokhtar's group that he was killed.
There were six Britons and three Americans working at the gas plant who died in the siege and the US has said it believed him to be a threat to the West.
Officials said there were no U.S. personnel on the ground for the assault.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said there would be “more details as appropriate,” the Guardian reported.
The U.S. filed terrorism charges in 2013 against Belmokhtar in connection with the Algeria attack. Officials have said they believe he remained a threat to U.S. and Western interests. Belmokhtar, an Algerian in his 40s, had just split off from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, to start his own franchise.
“Belmokhtar has a long history of leading terrorist activities as a member of AQIM, is the operational leader of the al-Qaeda-associated al-Murabitoun organisation in north-west Africa, and maintains his personal allegiance to al-Qaeda,” Warren added.
Belmokhtar has a long history of leading terrorist activities as a member of AQIM, is the operational leader of the al Qaida-associated Al Murabitun organization in Northwest Africa, and maintains his personal allegiance to al-Qaida, Warren said.
Authorities also offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Belmokhtar. He has been well-known for years, being referred to as “the one-eyed sheik” since he lost an eye in combat and “Mr Marlboro” as he funded his fighting with cigarette smuggling.
The Libyan government in a statement Sunday said that the strike targeting Belmokhtar came after consultation with the U.S. so that America could take action against a terror leader there.
The strike took place after discussions with the Libyan government, which has been running a country in turmoil since the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
One government official in Libya said an airstrike in the northeastern coastal city of Ajdabiya hit a group of Islamic militants also believed linked to al-Qaida and that it killed five and injured more. He said the group that was injured got into clashes with the Libyan military that guarded the hospital there, leading to hours of fighting. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The official couldn't confirm that was the same strike that killed Belmokhtar.
The officially recognised government is operating out of the eastern port city of Tobruk while an Islamist-run rival parliament operates in Tripoli, the BBC said.
The charges filed against Belmokhtar by federal law enforcement officials in Manhattan included conspiring to support al-Qaida and use of a weapon of mass destruction. Additional charges of conspiring to take hostages and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence carry a maximum penalty of death.
Currently, Islamic State militants have been clashing with those from al-Qaida in the east of the country over resources and power.
Authorities also offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Belmokhtar, who's also been known as “the one-eyed sheik” since he lost an eye in combat.
The airstrike comes as al-Qaida militants in eastern Libya continue to battle with members of the Islamic State, as the warring groups fight over power and resources.
On Sept. 11, 2012, an attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Other al-Qaida linked militants are believed behind that attack.
Last week, a senior al-Qaida leader was killed by masked gunman, prompting the group to declare holy war on the local Islamic State affiliate. Clashes between the two groups in the eastern coastal city of Darna killed 11 people.
Libya has been divided between an Islamist-led government backed by militias that seized the capital of Tripoli last August and its elected parliament, which now must convene in the far east of the country.
Militants have taken advantage of the chaos, flowing fighters into the country's vast ungoverned spaces. And as the Islamic State has grown in power, fueled by successes in Iraq and Syria, some al-Qaida fighters have switched loyalties.
In its statement Sunday, the Libyan government said that the operation “is a piece of the international support that it has long requested to fight terrorism that represents a dangerous threat to the regional and international situation.”
In its statement Sunday, the Libyan government said that the operation “is a piece of the international support that it has long requested to fight terrorism that represents a dangerous threat to the regional and international situation.”
