Notorious one-eyed jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar reportedly killed by French air strikes in Libya
Belmokhtar became one of the world’s most wanted men in 2013 after a spectacular assault on the a gas plant in Algeria left at least 38 hostages dead
One-eyed hostage killer Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of al-Qaeda’s most notorious allies in North Africa, has reportedly been killed in a French air strike.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report in the Wall Street Journal that US intelligence helped France target the veteran jihadist. The news came as French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was in Washington for talks with his US counterpart Secretary of Defence Ash Carter. But neither top official confirmed the strike, said to have taken place in southern Libya earlier this month.
The Algerian militant, commander of an al-Qaeda-linked faction of the Al-Murabitoun group, has been reported killed on several previous occasions. But the official said the latest strike is believed to have finally hit the elusive militant, once known for kidnapping Europeans for multimillion-dollar ransoms.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, citing experts and unnamed officials, the strike reflects closer US and French intelligence cooperation.
After November 2015, Islamist attacks on Paris left 130 dead, US President Barack Obama announced promised that closer intelligence cooperation with Paris would begin.