France announces the death of a major jihadist leader in the Sahel

[Lunix I]

This Moroccan was "the second most wanted terrorist in the Sahel - including by the Americans," said the minister on the plane that brought her from Gao, Mali, to France. He joined Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in 2012.

He became its spiritual leader before joining the founding of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) in 2017 with Lyad ag Ghali, the number one of the organization he was closest to (and who is at the top of the wanted list).

GSIM claimed responsibility for the recent attacks in late September and early October against Malian forces in Boulkessy and Mondoro with 40 soldiers killed. The group also claimed the Ouagadougou attack of March 2018 (8 dead). The Ouagadougou attacks of 2016 (30 dead) and 2017 (19 dead) are also the work of Al Qaeda.

Brain of the expansion of Al Qaeda in the Sahel
The brain of Al Qaeda's expansion in the Sahel, the architect of the South Katibas unit within GSIM, Ali Maychou is the second major GSIM figure killed this year after the death of Algerian Djamel Okacha , aka Yahya Abu El Hamame in February.

"This is the neutralization of a very influential person," Ms. Parly told AFP the day after her visit to Burkina Faso, where she met with French special forces.

"It is very important to disorganize these movements in depth," said the minister, "but that does not mean that these movements are self-destruct in parallel."
"It is necessary to continue this work of counter-terrorism but it is only one element" of the task to be done to make safe the countries of the Sahel, she recalled while mentioning the importance to accompany the local armed forces for that they gain autonomy.