Airstrikes Kill Algeria Gas Plant Takfiri in Libya

Local Editor

Al-Qaeda-linked extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who allegedly masterminded the siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 hostages died, had been killed in a US air strike.

"American jets conducted an operation which resulted in the deaths of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a group of Libyans belonging to a terrorist organization in eastern Libya," said a statement posted on Facebook.

The Pentagon said Belmokhtar had been the target of the strike but did not confirm he had been killed.
However, his death had been reported many times in the past.

Takfiri commander Belmokhtar, nicknamed variously as "The Uncatchable", "Mr. Marlboro" and "The One-Eyed", was the leader of the North African al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Wanted in several countries, he was the alleged mastermind of the 2013 siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 hostages, mostly Westerners, were killed.

"I can confirm that the target of last night's counter-terrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a statement.

"The strike was carried out by US aircraft. We are continuing to assess the results of the operation and will provide more details as appropriate."

Furthermore, the Libyan statement said the operation took place "after consultation with the Libyan transitional government" based in the country's east.

Belmokhtar was previously thought to have been killed in Mali, but security sources last year said that he had moved into Libya.

Takfiri groups had exploited the lawlessness, which had also prompted a huge influx of migrants trying to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe, with shipwrecks leaving hundreds dead and the EU straining to respond.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team