One-eyed jihadi commander dubbed 'uncatchable' targeted in US airstrikes in Libya
Belmokhtar was the leader of the north African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who allegedly masterminded the siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 hostages died, has been killed in a US air strike, Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Sunday.
“American jets conducted an operation which resulted in the deaths of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a group of Libyans belonging to a terrorist organisation in eastern Libya,” said the statement, which was posted on Facebook.
The Pentagon said Belmokhtar had been the target of the strike but did not confirm he had been killed.
One-eyed Islamist commander Belmokhtar was the leader of the north African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Wanted for terrorist activities in several countries, he was the alleged mastermind behind the 2013 siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 mostly Western hostages were killed.
“I can confirm that the target of last night’s counterterrorism 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.”