Al Qaeda Leader Kills In US Airstrike In Libya
KABUL: (Middle East Press) U.S. fighter jets carried out a strike in Libya targeting a senior commander of the al-Qaeda terrorist group, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in an airstrike in the east of the country. The strike also claimed the lives of several others, according to reports early on Monday.
“We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate,” said Pentagon Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren, adding that the attack was carried out on Saturday night.
U.S. National Counterterrorism Center said, Mr. Belmokhtar served as a senior commander in al Qaeda’s Saharan branch, before founding his own al Qaeda cell called the “Signed-in-Blood Battalion.”
In 2013, he led an attack on a gas facility in Algeria, resulting in a siege and the death of 38 hostages, including three U.S. citizens, the U.S. government said.
Libya’s international recognized government also confirmed the death of the al-Qaeda commander.
Terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and ISIL, have exploited the widening power vacuum in the restive country, seeking to solidify their presence there.
