Belmokhtar's unit participated in Niger suicide attacks

By Bill Roggio - LWJ - May 24, 2013 

Al Qaeda commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar. Image from Sahara Media.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the leader of the al Qaeda-linked al Mua'qi'oon Biddam, or the Those Who Sign in Blood Brigade, said that its fighters participated in yesterday's double suicide attack in Niger along with the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO). The attack was launched to avenge the death of a senior al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb commander who was killed while fighting in Mali earlier this year, he claimed. The statement also put to rest rumors that Belmokhtar was killed in Mali by French and Chadian forces in early March.

Belmokhtar's statement was posted on jihadist forums on May 23; it was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group. The statement was signed by Khalid Abu al Abbas, which is one of Belmokhtar's aliases.

The May 23 suicide attacks, the first of their kind in Niger, targeted a military barracks in Agadez and a uranium mine in Arlit that supplies French reactors. The Agadez attack was executed by a five-man suicide assault team; 18 Nigerien soldiers and a civilian were killed. A MUJAO spokesman claimed credit for the attack.

Belmokhtar said the attacks in Niger were executed to avenge Abdel Hamid Abou Zeid, an AQIM commander who was killed by French and Chadian forces during a military operation to root out the terror group in northern Mali.

"We send to our dear Ummah a glad tiding of one of the epics of Islam that took place in the heart of the enemy land, and one of the invasions of al Mua'qi'oon Biddam under the name of the martyred commander, as we consider him, Abdel Hamid Abou Zeid," Belmokhtar stated.

Belmokhtar said that "a battalion from our commandos who gave a pledge of allegiance to die rose to retaliate for him [Abou Zeid], coming from different countries to sign with their blood inside the fortresses of an enemy whose army was one of the foundations of the Crusader campaign on our Muslim land."

The attack was also launched as "the first of our response to the statement of the President of Niger - from his masters in Paris - that he eliminated jihad and the mujahideen militarily."

Warning that "more operations" are being prepared, Belmokhtar said, "We will move the battle to the inside of his country [Niger] if he doesn't withdraw his mercenary army" from Mali. Belmokhtar also warned other countries who plan to provide "peacekeepers" in Mali that they will "taste the heat of death and wounds in [their] homelands and among [their] soldiers."

"The convoys of martyrdom-seekers and commandos are ready and waiting for their targets and permission," Belmokhtar concluded.

The al Mua'qi'oon Biddam fights throughout West Africa. In January, just after French forces invaded Mali to eject AQIM, MUJAO, and Ansar Dine from the north, Belmokhtar launched a large-scale suicide assault against the In Amenas gas facility in southeastern Algeria. More than 40 fighters carried out the attack. One of the assault teams was led by a Nigerien known as Abdul Rahman al Nigeri, who had led another assault on a military barracks in Mauritania in 2005. Belmokhtar claimed the attack in the name of al Qaeda.

Although Belmokhtar was reported to have been killed at the same time Abou Zeid was killed, the reports were never confirmed. The president of Chad and the military insisted that Belmokhtar was dead, but the French, who were adamant that Abu Zeid was killed, refused to speculate about the status of Belmokhtar. In early April, Hamad el Khairy, the head of MUJAO, claimed that Belmokhtar was alive.

Although Belmokhtar split with AQIM in December 2012, he still conducts joint operations with the group as well as with MUJAO. Belmokhtar reports directly to al Qaeda's central leadership, according to his spokesman. Al Qaeda central tightened its control over AQIM's hostage operations in late 2010.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/05/belmokhtars_unit_par.php#ixzz2UIK9AcKJ

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• Belmokhtar's unit participated in Niger suicide attacks (longwarjournal.org)
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Suicide Bombers Attack Niger Military Barracks, Uranium Mine

DAKAR — Niger's government said at least 20 soldiers and five suicide bombers were killed Thursday in attacks on a military base in the north-central town of Agadez and a French-owned uranium mine further north in Arlit.

Sources confirmed to VOA that one attacker in Agadez remains on the loose and is holding a few young officers hostage at the base. French media say the Islamist militant group MUJAO has claimed responsibility for the double attack as retribution for Niger's role in the French-led military intervention against them in northern Mali.

Witnesses said the twin attacks took place around 5:30 am local time Thursday.

In Agadez, a car exploded at the military barracks. Government spokesman Morou Amadou said multiple insurgents were involved.

He said some of the attackers were wearing explosive belts. He said they arrived in a vehicle that was rigged with explosives and then at some point got out and attacked, killing soldiers.

Agadez residents said they heard security forces clashing with insurgents at the barracks.

This resident, Hassane said he heard a large explosion around 5:30 a.m. followed by gunshots and heavy weapons fire. He said the town was calm by mid-morning, but military and police are stationed throughout the streets and have blocked off access to the military base.

A suicide car bomb also struck the French-owned Somair uranium mine further north in Arlit.

The Paris-based Areva nuclear energy firm said in a statement that the attack killed one person injured 14 and that Nigerien security forces are reinforcing security at their sites.

Niger has contributed troops to a West African regional force fighting Islamist militants in northern Mali.

The French-led military intervention began in January and has reclaimed much of the territory after the ten-month occupation by extremists. However, Islamist fighters have re-emerged to carry out guerilla attacks against Malian troops and regional targets.

A suicide car bomb targeted the barracks of Nigerien troops stationed in the northern Malian town of Menaka on May 10. The bomber was the only casualty.

Thursday's attack was the first inside Niger and so far the deadliest retribution for the Mali intervention since al-Qaida-linked fighters raided a BP natural gas plant in southern Algeria in late January, killing 38 hostages.

Niger's government has declared three days of national mourning. 

 

from VOA News

by Anne Look

May 23, 2013

 

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• MUJAO suicide bombers hit uranium mine, barracks in Niger (longwarjournal.org)

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Ansar al-Din spokesman surrenders to Mauritania

A spokesman for Malian Islamist group Ansar al-Din surrendered to Mauritanian forces on Saturday (May 18th), near the Mali border.

Sanda Ould Bouamama (aka Abou Mohamed) "was transferred at the week-end to Nouakchott, where he is currently being questioned by the police", ANI reported.

Last month, Ould Bouamama told ANI that he was close to the border between Mali and Algeria and was going to surrender to Algerian authorities.

"This surrender had been expected for several weeks because the Ansar al-Din spokesman had expressed a desire to surrender to Algerian forces on April 17th and had implored the Mauritanian president to request his extradition so that he could stand trial in Mauritania," terrorism expert Sidati Ould Cheikh said.

"Since the beginning of the French intervention in Mali, it has been a case of every man for himself within terrorist groups," he added.

On April 19th, El Watan reported that three Ansar al-Din leaders were in Algeria.

The refugee "emirs" were identified as Wathik (aka Abderrahman Gouli), Abou Abida (aka Mourabiti Ben Moula) and Athman Ag Houdi, Ansar al-Din chief Iyad Ag Ghaly's cousin.

Although Algeria denied rumours that Ansar al-Din leaders intended to seek refuge in the country, El Watan underlined that other members of this small group could surrender.

"Algeria is loyal to its principles with regard to its foreign policy, based on respect for legitimacy," Algerian foreign ministry spokesperson Amar Belani told APS on April 21st.

"It will continue contributing in order to achieve peace and security in the region and particularly in Mali by working closely based on international legitimacy," Belani said.

"Ould Bouamama's surrender follows intervention by senior members of his tribe, the Barabiches, who negotiated with Mauritanian authorities for almost a month," explained journalist Jidou Ould Sidi.

The delegation of tribal senior members "accompanied a special Mauritanian task force to a locality in Mali, about 30 kilometres from the Mauritanian border", he added. "There, Ould Bouamama laid down his weapon, abandoned his vehicle and mobile phones and gave himself up without a fight."

He was taken to Bassiknou and was then transferred to Nouakchott aboard a military aircraft, according to Ould Sidi. "All signs are that Sanda will be very co-operative with the investigators," he noted. "The Mauritanians have a real mine of information on their hands."

Ould Boumama is from the city of Bassiknou, Mauritania, where his family and business are located. He studied at the University of Nouakchott.

He was known for his intransigence.

"The enforcement of Sharia is a divine obligation for any Muslim," Ould Bouamama told French daily Sud-Ouest last August. "If that shocks some people, we don't care."

"We are already an Islamic emirate, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is our model," he added at the time.

By Bakari Gueye in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 21/05/2013

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• Ansar al-Din spokesman to surrender (sgt-jim.blogspot.com)

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Follower of Mohammed al Zawahiri dies in attack in Mali

By Thomas Joscelyn - May 10, 2013 - LWJ

Abu Obeida Sharif Khattab can be seen in the lower left foreground of this photo. Mohammed al Zawahiri is in the middle. To Zawahiri's left is Sheikh Adel Shehato.

Members of al Qaeda's Shumukh al Islam forum announced on May 4 that four Egyptian jihadists died in a "martyrdom-seeking" operation in Mali, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. One of the Egyptians, Abu Obeida Sharif Khattab, had previously appeared in videos with Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri.

The Shumukh al Islam forum participants apparently did not provide any details of the attack. The same day as their announcement, however, four terrorists were killed during an attack near Gao, which is where Khattab died. Two Malian soldiers were killed and several others were wounded.
The Malian army said that a suspicious individual riding a motorcycle was at first stopped. Three militants in a car then opened fire on the Malian soldiers, according to the Associated Press. "That was when the jihadist on the motorcycle set off the bomb that he was wearing," explained Lieutenant Colonel Souleymane Maiga, who heads public relations for the Malian army.

Sharif Khattab was a member of Shumukh al Islam who posted as "Abu Obeida al-Maghribi," according to his fellow forum members. Khattab had tried to join the jihad in the Sinai, Yemen, and Iraq, but was unsuccessful. One member of the forum said that Khattab did make his way to Libya after being released from prison. It is not clear why Khattab was imprisoned.

"After Allah graced him with coming out of the apostate prisons, and the market of jihad opened in Libya, he quickly went there, and Allah did not will that he complete his journey there," a forum member posted. "Then he returned with his determination higher and his longing for jihad increased, until Allah destined him to emigrate."

"After the French invasion of the new home of Islam in Azawad, our brother fought a fight deserving of praise from his brothers, until he was granted martyrdom," another forum member wrote, according to SITE's translation.

Read the full article at Long War Journal: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/05/follower_of_mohammed.php#ixzz2SssaQpQP

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• Follower of Mohammed al Zawahiri dies in attack in Mali (longwarjournal.org)

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French jihadist arrested in Mali

[AFP/Sahara Media] French jihadist Gilles Le Guen in October delivered a message to warn against a military intervention in northern Mali.

French forces captured a French citizen in Mali suspected of joining al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

"He was arrested by our troop close to Timbuktu. He was obviously fighting among jihadist groups," French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe1 on Wednesday (May 1st).

"The jihadist was not in combat position when he was arrested by our troops, given that the situation in Timbuktu was relatively calm," he added. "However, our troops continue to do their job with necessary night patrols, and in this way, we managed to arrest him."

The minister noted that this case did not represent a general pattern.

"There are only a handful of such cases," he said. "We know their identities, and therefore, we have to take the necessary precautions."

The minister spoke of "an individual deviation to fanaticism" and described the suspect as "a loser who became a terrorist".

Malian airport and security sources told AFP on Thursday that the wife and children of the French Islamist arrested in northern Mali had been "evacuated" to Paris.

Le Guen, 58, who goes by the name Abdel Jelil, was detained on Sunday and is now being questioned in Mali's northeastern city of Gao, AFP reported. The Frenchman is believed to have joined AQIM after moving to Mali with his family following previous stints living in Morocco and Mauritania.

He converted to Islam in 1985, according to Le Monde.

In October, Le Guen appeared in Islamic dress with a gun at his side in a video on a Mauritanian website in which he warned France, the United States and the United Nations against military intervention in Mali to drive Islamists from the country's vast desert north.

To local analysts, the incident proves that terrorism has no nationality and any individual can fall prey to extremist propaganda.

"I'm not surprised with the presence of this French jihadist with the Islamists in Mali," Mauritanian security analyst and strategy expert Hamdi Ould Dah told Magharebia. "Terrorism has become internationalised in recent years, which attracted the attention of some people outside the cultural and civilisational circle where terrorism grew from salafist ideology."

He added that the media "opened the doors for salafist ideology to reach the farthest point in the world". Extremists take advantage of the "means of globalisation" to present some peoples as "oppressed victims of certain policies", he commented.

"Extremism is an approach that a group of individuals who may not be from the same civilisation can join for this or that reason because of psychological inclinations, exactly like some people may resort to suicide or sadism," Ould Dah concluded.

The arrest caught many Malian observers off guard.

"While the French state and its soldiers enjoy much appreciation and respect in Mali, we were shocked to find out about the arrest of a French citizen whose country is trying to liberate the land of Mali from the terrorists," Malian journalist Moussa Maiga said.

"However, this shock may fade away when we come to realise that this French citizen is not much different from the Malians who fight alongside al-Qaeda against their own country," he added.

In her turn, Meriam Coulibaly, a Malian youth activist, wondered, "How can a native French citizen espouse jihadist ideology against us? He must have been a victim of terrorists who deceived him to embrace the ideology of killing and terrorism."

from MAGHAREBIA
By Jemal Oumar in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 02/05/2013

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6 people killed after Arab communities clash in northern Mali

BAMAKO, April 26 (Xinhua) -- A confrontation between two Arab communities left six people dead in northern Mali, local sources told Xinhua on Friday.

Each of the rival sides wants to position itself as the main Arab group in Thursday's clash in Anefis, 200 km north of the biggest northern town of Gao.

"This confrontation was due to the events that took place at Ber, where the Arab traders who are organized under the banner of the Arab Movement for Azawad (MAA) pushed out the members of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and injured two of their members.

"The MNLA fighters came to revenge against the peaceful Arab traders in Anefis as they were fleeing to Kidal. The reprisal attacks occurred under the watch of the Serval forces and the International Support Mission for Mali (MISMA)," another source said.

The sources said the MNLA had deployed its fighters in Anefis with about thirty vehicles.

from XINHUA
2013-04-26 19:56:40
Editor: Hou Qiang

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Ansar al-Din spokesman to surrender

A one-time spokesman for Malian Islamist group Ansar al-Din said Wednesday (April 17th) that he was ready to turn himself in.

Sanda Ould Bouamama told ANI that he was close to the border between Mali and Algeria and was going to surrender to Algerian authorities.

"I have walked more than 80 kilometres on foot to reach the Algerian border so that I can surrender to the Algerian army," he said. "Right now I'm close to the Algerian town of Bordj Badji Mokhtar, where I intend to turn myself in to the Algerian army."

He added that on April 9th, unknown individuals attempted to assassinate him. Ould Bouamama previously served as the Timbuktu spokesperson for the radical Islamist group.

He asked Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and the Mauritanian government to "do everything possible to have me extradited to Mauritania so that I can be put on trial, given that I am a Mauritanian national".

This surrender comes as another serious blow to the terrorist groups, who have suffered huge losses since the French-led offensive in northern Mali began in January.

"It coincides with the arrest on April 16th by the Malian armed forces of 12 terrorists in Djebok, a locality situated about 100 km to the north-east of Gao," Jidou Ould Sidi, a journalist specialising in security said.

"Among the 12 terrorists who are being questioned is Mohamed Ag Ntaki, a MUJAO explosives expert who is believed by the Malian intelligence services to have been responsible for making and placing improvised explosive devices in the Gao region. He also laid mines in the region of Imenas and Talatai which hit ambulances belonging to the Serval force and the Malian army at the beginning of March," he added.

Arrest warrants were issued on April 12th for Touareg rebel leaders in the Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) and the armed Islamist groups Ansar al-Din, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), David Dembele, a writer for the newspaper Dépêches du Mali said.

They stand accused of offences including terrorism and sedition, he said.

Dembele added that 26 people were subject to international arrest warrants issued by the prosecutor-general at Bamako Court of Appeal.

The wanted men include MNLA Secretary-General Bilal Ag Acherif, Ansar al-Din leader Iyad Ag Ghaly, Oumar Ould Hamaha, Sidi Mohamed Ould Bouamama alias Sanda Ould Bouamama, and MUJAO member and suspected drug trafficker Cherif Ould Attaher alias Cherif Ould Tahar.

Alghabasse Ag Intalla, who belongs to one of the large Touareg clans in the region of Kidal, is among the men claimed to be members of Ansar al-Din. However, since January 24th he has led the Azawad Islamic Movement (MIA).

"The arrests of leaders such as Mohamed Moussa Ag Mouhamed, who is regarded as the third most senior man in Ansar al-Din, and Oumeini Ould Baba Ahmed, a high-ranking leader of MUJAO, have been very costly for the jihadists, who are unquestionably in disarray," Ould Sidi said.

from MAGHAREBIA
By Bakari Gueye in Nouakchott for Magharebia – 18/04/2013

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French Troops Move Against Islamist Base in Mali

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

French troops in northern Mali have launched a new operation against a suspected Islamist militant base near the city of Gao.

A reporter for VOA said Monday that a force of about 1,000 soldiers, backed by tanks, helicopters and drones, is moving against the base in the small town of Bourem.

Al-Qaida-linked militants fled to remote areas after French and Malian government troops drove them out of northern Mali's main cities and towns in a January offensive.

Meanwhile, the president of Niger says the battle against Islamist militants in neighboring Mali is "almost over."

In an interview with VOA, President Mahamadou Issoufou says northern Mali is free and "many terrorists have been eliminated," following the French-led offensive.

He predicts armed militants and drug traffickers will still organize attacks but says "significant results have been achieved."

France has indicated it will begin withdrawing its troops from Mali by the end of this month. 

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for the deployment of two replacement forces in Mali - one to help stabilize the country and one to continue fighting al-Qaida.

In the interview, Niger's president voiced support for the presence of U.S. troops and drones in Niger.  Issoufou says the forces are needed to fight regional terrorism, and says that without the drones, "we are blind."

President Obama has said about 100 U.S. military personnel are in Niger for the purpose of intelligence collection.

from VOA News
April 08, 2013

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Mali Troops, Islamists Clash in Timbuktu

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

At least one Malian soldier was killed and several others were wounded Sunday during fighting between Malian soldiers backed by French forces  and Islamist militants in the northern city of Timbuktu.

Officials say at least five insurgents were also killed in the shootout that started Saturday night after a group of Islamist militants infiltrated the Saharan city.

The militants linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, used a suicide bomber as distraction and entered the city while he blew himself up at a military checkpoint.  The militants are trying to recapture the city they held for months until Malian and french troops recaptured it in January.

It is not clear how many rebels have re-entered Timbuktu.

City residents told VOA that the fighting is not far from their homes, and that some civilians have been wounded by stray bullets.  They say they are staying indoors as the clashes continue.

The attack Saturday began hours after a Malian military vehicle drove over a land mine, killing two soldiers.

Mali has been the target of a series of attacks claimed by Islamist insurgents since France launched a military intervention against al-Qaida-linked groups that had seized northern Mali.  France began its operation in Mali in January.

Meanwhile, a contingent of Senegalese troops has arrived in the northern city of Gao to boost a regional intervention force trying to oust the Islamist rebels from there.

French President Francois Hollande has said France plans to begin pulling its troops out of northern Mali in April.  A multi-nation African force being assembled to replace the French needs more training and equipment to protect vulnerable northern Malian towns.

from VOA News
March 31, 2013

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Al-Qaida Names New North African Chief

(Reuters) - Algerian Djamel Okacha has been named as a new commander in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), replacing Abdelhamid Abou Zeid who was killed in fighting in northern Mali, Algerian Ennahar TV said on Sunday.

An Algerian security source said Okacha, 34, was very close to AQIM's leader Abdelmalek Droukdel as both belonged to the Group of Algiers, made up of militants born in the region around the Algerian capital.

The source also said that he was confident that al Qaeda commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar, whose death was reported shortly after that of Abou Zeid, was dead.


"Okacha is Droukdel's right-hand man," he said. Okacha's priority would be to reorganize AQIM after it registered the losses of two heavyweight commanders.

France said last week that it had confirmed "with certainty" the death of Abou Zeid, saying that he had been killed in fighting led by French forces in the Adrar des Ifoghas region of northern Mali at the end of February.

It made no comment on Belmokhtar, presumed mastermind of an attack in January at the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria in which more than 60 people were killed, including foreign hostages.

Both commanders' deaths had been reported by Chad, but many analysts remain skeptical about Belmokhtar, noting that his experience and knowledge of the desert terrain could have helped him escape after French-led military operations were launched against the Islamist militants in Mali this year.

Okacha, also known as Yahia Abu El Hamam, joined AQIM northern Mali in 2004, the security source told Reuters.

"He was present at the attack against a military barracks in Mauritania in 2005, and he was also present in the killing of an American in 2009," the source said, referring to aid worker Christopher Leggett.

Algerian security sources had said earlier they believed Abou Zeid and Belmokhtar were together when they were killed.

"I strongly believe that Belmokhtar is dead," the security source said.

A jihadist quoted by the SITE monitoring service on March 3 rejected reports that Belmoktar had been killed, saying he was alive and would soon release a message. No message has been released.

Belmokhtar represented an important link to al Qaeda's roots, having trained in Afghanistan in the early 1990s.

France launched a joint military campaign with some African armies in Mali in January after Islamist rebels took control of the north of the country and began a move south towards the capital Bamako.

On Sunday, Mauritania's news agency ANI reported that AQIM had beheaded a French hostage, Philippe Verdon, captured in northern Mali two years ago. AQIM said other French hostages were at risk because of France's intervention in Mali.

from REUTERS
By Lamine Chikhi
ALGIERS | Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:01pm EDT
(Writing by Myra MacDonald; Editing by Stephen Powell)

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France Confirms Death of al-Qaida Commander Abou Zeid

This image released on December 25, 2012 by Sahara Media, shows one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdelhamid Abou Zeid in an undisclosed place.

France says it can confirm with certainty that Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, a top commander in al-Qaida's North African branch, was killed in Mali last month.

The office of French President Francois Hollande issued a statement Saturday confirming Abou Zeid's death in an offensive by French troops in northern Mali's Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.

French officials reported weeks ago that Abou Zeid was "probably" dead but were waiting for DNA tests to verify.

Earlier this month, the nation of Chad had said its troops in northern Mali had killed Abou Zeid, a leader of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb linked to the kidnapping and killing of at least two Westerners.

France began its campaign in Mali on January 11, as al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants who controlled the north began moving toward the capital, Bamako. President Hollande has said France plans to begin pulling its troops out of northern Mali in April.

Analysts warn a French withdrawal could leave northern Mali vulnerable to a renewed militant takeover. The Malian army was unable to fight the militants on its own, and a multi-nation African force being assembled needs more training and equipment to protect Malian towns.

from VOA News
March 23, 2013

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France: 10 Islamists Killed in Timbuktu

France says about 10 Islamist fighters were killed Thursday as French and Malian forces repelled an attack on the northern Mali city of Timbuktu.
A French army spokesman, Thierry Burkhard, said in Paris that two Malian soldiers were slightly wounded in the overnight clash.

Timbuktu residents reported hearing several hours of gunfire and seeing French warplanes overhead.  They said fighting died down by morning.

The clash followed a suicide bombing at a Malian army checkpoint near the Timbuktu airport late Wednesday.  The bomber and one Malian soldier were killed, while at least two other soldiers were wounded.

It was the first suicide attack in Timbuktu since a French-led offensive drove Islamist militants out of their northern Mali strongholds in January.

On Wednesday, French President Francois Hollande said military operations in Mali are in their last phase.

Analysts fear al-Qaida-linked militants could return to northern Mali's cities and towns after the French withdraw their 4,000 troops from the region.

The Malian army remains weak, and an African force meant to take over from the French lacks funding and training.

Mali was plunged into crisis last year when soldiers overthrew the president, enabling Islamist militants to seize control of the north. The militants imposed a harsh form of Islamic law on the region. French forces intervened when the Islamists began moving south toward the capital.

Most of the recent fighting has been in the Ifoghas mountains of northeastern Mali, where militants fled after their retreat.

from VOA News
March 21, 2013

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Mali Suicide Bombing Leaves 2 Dead

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

DAKAR — An apparent suicide bomber struck in the northern Malian town of Timbuktu Wednesday. News agencies report at least two dead, one Malian soldier and the bomber.

Timbuktu residents say an explosion rocked the town during the night of Wednesday to Thursday.

The explosion reportedly came from a car near the Timbuktu airport where French and Malian troops are stationed.  It was not immediately clear whether the car was laden with explosives or the bomber was wearing a belt.

Malian military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Diarran Kone told VOA that the bombing appeared to have been part of a larger raid. 

He said that the perpetrators were "terrorists who wanted to infiltrate" the area.

French and Malian troops were able to repel the attackers.

Timbuktu residents told VOA that gunfire began around 11 Wednesday night and continued until early Thursday morning.

This resident, identified by his last name Oumar, told VOA by phone from Timbuktu that he heard a "large boom" and gunfire, including heavy weapons, coming from the direction of the airport.  He said he heard French planes flying overhead until the early morning hours.  He said he and his family, unsure of what was happening, remained sheltered in their home until morning.

French, Malian and Chadian troops have been fighting al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in northern Mali for nearly ten weeks.  France intervened after the militants, who seized control of the region last April, tried to move south in January.

The attack on Timbuktu Wednesday would mark the town's first suicide bombing and highlights fears of a stubborn "hit and run" guerrilla war to come in northern Mali.

France has said it will withdraw its troops, leaving Malian troops and a multi-nation African force to fight the militants.

from VOA News
by Anne Look
March 21, 2013

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Mali: Al Qaeda in Africa Says It Beheads French Hostage

Nouakchott — Al Qaeda's wing in north Africa said it had beheaded a French hostage in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali, Mauritania's ANI news agency reported on Tuesday, citing a spokesman for the group.

In what ANI reported was a telephone call to the agency, which has close links to Islamist militants, the commander said Philippe Verdon had been beheaded on March 10 "in response to the French military intervention in the north of Mali," ANI reported.

The death, if proved true, would be a worrying development for Paris, which still has some 14 hostages held in West Africa, including seven in the Sahel by AQIM and its affiliates.

Verdon, a French geologist, was captured in the northern Mali town of Hombori in November 2011. A French foreign ministry spokesman said he had no information on the report.

The AQIM spokesman, who identified himself only as Qayrawani, described Verdon as a French spy, adding that Hollande "bore the responsibility for the remaining hostages."

from allAfrica/Tunis Afrique Presse (Tunis)
20 March 2013

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Nigeria says working to rescue 8 foreign hostages

ABUJA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian federal government has said it is doing everything possible to ensure that the eight foreign hostages held by the militant group in the Northern part of the country are released without any harm.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashiru disclosed this on Saturday when he met with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The Nigerian minister said the attempt will not include ransom payment as it is against the government policies.

Ashiru told his guest that Nigeria would have been a prime target of regional terrorists if not for the intervention of France and ECOWAS troop in Mali crisis.

"We will do everything possible to ensure that we get the hostages released as part of our own policy we don't pay ransom to terrorists but we will do everything possible to ensure that those terrorists released their captives without any harm done to them," he added.

Ashiru told reporters that his meeting with the visiting French minister afforded both countries the opportunities to review relations between them.

from XINHUA
2013-03-17 19:07:43
Editor: Fu Peng

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• Nigeria says no ransom to kidnappers of French family (vanguardngr.com)
• France: Discretion needed to free Nigeria hostages (cnsnews.com)

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Mali Islamists, Separatists Join Forces

An armed Islamist group occupying parts of northern Mali says it has joined forces with one of the country's main separatist movements.
Alghabasse Ag Intalla, head of the Islamic Movement for Azawad, told VOA correspondent Idriss Fall that the Islamist group has signed an agreement with the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, or MNLA.

Intalla says the two groups will hold a congress in May to officially unify the movements.

The Islamic Movement of Azawad was formed recently by self-described "moderates" within the Ansar Dine rebel group.

Officials from the movement have said they are seeking autonomy for northern Mali, not independence.

Intalla, who was the former negotiator of Ansar Dine, says that although his group is currently fighting Islamists in the region, they will not help Malian forces in Kidal unless a political solution is found on the Tuareg situation.

Ansar Dine rebels joined with ethnic Tuaregs to seize control of northern Mali following the March 2012 coup.  Ansar Dine and other Islamist groups then took full control of the region, where they have moved to impose strict Islamic law.

In other developments, a Chadian soldier was killed Tuesday in fighting in the Ifoghas mountains in the country's north.  Nearly 30 Chadian soldiers have been killed in the operation so far.

from VOA News
March 13, 2013

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Nigerian jihadist group executes 7 foreigners

By Bill Roggio - March 9, 2013 - LWJ

A screen shot from the Ansar al-Muslimeen video that purports to show the bodies of several executed foreign hostages. Image from the SITE Intelligence Group.

A radical jihadist group in Nigeria that kidnapped seven foreigners last month claimed it has executed the hostages in response to a joint Nigerian and British military operation to free them.

Ansar al-Muslimeen in the Land of Black Africans (Bilad al-Sudan), an offshoot of the al Qaeda-linked Boko Haram, announced that it executed the hostages in a statement that was released today. The statement, which was released in both English and Arabic, was obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group.

In the statement, Ansar al-Muslimeen said that it had previously "warned that should there be any attempt by force to rescue" the "seven Christians foreigners," their lives would be in danger.
Ansar al-Muslimeen then claimed that "the British government sent five jet bombers, soldiers and intelligent [sic], parading in Bauchi in order to rescue them."

"By this progress the Nigeria and British government operation lead to the death of all the seven Christians foreigners," the group concluded.

Ansar al-Muslimeen said it would release a videotape of the execution and included screen shots from the tape that purports to show the bodies of the foreign hostages.

The seven foreigners are said to be from Britain, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, and the Philippines, and worked for a Lebanese construction firm in the northern state of Bauchi. They were kidnapped on Feb. 17. Ansar al-Muslimeen bombed vehicles at a police station at a town near the construction site and then killed a security guard before capturing the foreign workers.

The group said the kidnappings were a response to alleged transgressions against Islam by European countries in "many places such as Afghanistan and Mali etc."

Ansar al-Muslimeen, which is also called simply "Ansaru," has attempted to influence the situation in Mali in the recent past. The group also claimed an attack on a convoy of Nigerian troops in Kogi state on Jan. 20, saying it was to stop African countries from joining the intervention against al Qaeda-affiliated Islamists groups operating in Mali. The Nigerian troops were preparing to deploy to Mali to fight the al Qaeda-linked groups.

Ansar al-Muslimeen announced its formation in June 2012. Abu Usama al Ansari, the terror group's emir, said that one of its main goals is "restoring the dignity of the Muslims as it was in the time of the Caliphate," according to the statement, which was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

"The method of achieving these aims and goals is "jihad," al Ansari said.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/03/nigerian_jihadist_gr.php#ixzz2N89QDAOC

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R.I.P. - Brigadier-chef Wilfried Pingaud (FR)(Mali,Operation Serval)

some translation with g**gle:

January 21, 2013, it is projected through the operation SERVAL, Mali, as an assistant computer operator ATLAS. March 6, 2013, in the early morning, a detachment of the Malian army conducting search operations and recognition has been attacked by terrorist groups in the region of Tin Keraten, northeast of Imenas to one hundred kilometers from Gao. During the clash, the sergeant Pingaud inserted with the battalion in Mali, was fatally wounded. Transported to the field hospital Gao advanced to be made​​, it is unfortunately died of his injuries a few hours later.
---

IN MEMORIAM : Brigadier-chef Wilfried Pingaud

Né le 23 novembre 1976, le brigadier-chef de première classe Wilfried PINGAUD aura servi la France durant près de 18 ans. A 18 ans, le 4 avril 1995, il signe un contrat d’engagé volontaire de l’armée de Terre pour cinq ans au titre du 68e régiment d’artillerie d’Afrique (68e RAA). A l’issue de sa formation initiale, il rejoint la 2e batterie du 68e RAA en tant que servant artillerie. Il se distingue alors immédiatement par son goût de l’effort et fait preuve de belles qualités humaines. Le 13 juillet de la même année, il obtient brillamment le certificat technique élémentaire (CTE) spécialité « mortier lourd » avant d’être élevé le 1er décembre 1995 à la distinction de 1re classe.

Désigné pour partir en mission de courte durée à Mayotte de février à juin 1996, il obtient durant son séjour le certificat technique élémentaire spécialité « Choc et Feu », démontrant par la même occasion un excellent état d’esprit et de très bonnes aptitudes militaires.

En avril 1997, il rejoint avec sa batterie la République Centrafricaine comme conducteur poids lourd au sein de l’équipe munitions. De retour au régiment après quatre mois de mission, ses états de services sont récompensés par une promotion au grade de brigadier le 1er décembre 1998.

Polyvalent, soucieux d’élargir ses compétences, il sert alors comme cuisinier au sein de la 2e batterie puis rejoint la 11e batterie et le cercle mess le 1er février 1999. Le 17 mars 1999, il réussit avec brio le certificat technique élémentaire spécialité « restauration collective ». Faisant preuve d’une très grande disponibilité et d’une remarquable ardeur au travail, il devient rapidement un adjoint de valeur du chef de cuisine.

En séjour en Polynésie de février à mai 2000, il est un exemple pour les plus jeunes et démontre de grandes capacités d’initiative. Ses belles qualités militaires et techniques lui valent la promotion au grade de brigadier-chef le 1er octobre 2000 et, le 1er novembre de la même année, il est déclaré titulaire du certificat d’aptitude technique du premier degré « Mortier lourd ».

De septembre à novembre 2002, il effectue un séjour en Afghanistan au titre de l’opération PAMIR – mandat EPIDOTE comme aide moniteur à l’instruction de l’armée nationale afghane (ANA) ; il s’investit sans compter dans sa mission et obtient d’excellents résultats, mettant à profit ses connaissances étendues en artillerie. Son travail est unanimement reconnu et récompensé par l’attribution du certificat d’aptitude technique du 2e degré spécialité « pointeur mortier » le 31 décembre 2002. De retour en régiment, il occupe le poste de conducteur poids lourd et magasinier et est promu au grade de brigadier-chef de 1re classe le 4 avril 2006.

Le 1er janvier 2009, il rejoint le groupement de soutien de la base de défense (GSBDD) de La Valbonne nouvellement créé, où il exerce la fonction de permanent du bureau tir. Exemplaire en toutes circonstances, doté d’une excellente condition physique, il donne entière satisfaction. Le 1er septembre 2011, avec le transfert du bureau tir du camp de La Valbonne, il est de nouveau affecté au 68e régiment d’artillerie d’Afrique.

Le 21 janvier 2013, il est projeté dans le cadre de l’opération SERVAL, au Mali, en tant qu’adjoint pupitreur ATLAS. Le 6 mars 2013, en début de matinée, un détachement de l’armée malienne conduisant des opérations de fouilles et de reconnaissance a été pris à partie par des groupes terroristes dans la région de Tin Keraten, au nord-est d’Imenas, à une centaine de kilomètres de Gao. 

Au cours de cet accrochage, le brigadier-chef PINGAUD, inséré auprès du bataillon malien, a été mortellement touché. Transporté vers l’antenne chirurgicale avancée de Gao afin d’y être opéré, il est malheureusement décédé des suites de ses blessures quelques heures après.

Il est le quatrième soldat français à mourir au combat depuis le lancement de l’opération Serval.
Le brigadier-chef de première classe Wilfried PINGAUD était titulaire de la médaille d’or de la défense nationale, de la médaille commémorative française avec agrafe Afghanistan et de la médaille d’outre-mer avec agrafes République du Congo et République Centrafricaine.

Agé de 36 ans, le brigadier-chef de première classe Wilfried PINGAUD était marié et père de deux enfants.

Il a été tué dans l’accomplissement de sa mission au service de la France.

Source : Armée de Terre

 

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AQIM confirms French killed leader in Mali

Abdelhamid Abou Zeid (screen-grab)

An Al Qaeda source has confirmed the death in Mali of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, one of the leaders of Aqim, (al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb).
An Aqim militant told the private Mauritanian news agency that he was killed in a French bombing raid last week in the Ifoghas mountains.

The same source insisted however, that another Islamist leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, thought to have masterminded the January hostage operation in the Algerian gas plant, was still alive and fighting.

Radio France Internationale’s special envoy in Mali went to Tessalit in the north east on Sunday, where he was shown photographs by a Chadian soldier, showing a blood-drenched body which the soldier declares is the corpse of Mokhtar Belmokhtar.

The Chadian soldiers say they killed Belmokhtar on Saturday in the Ametetai Valley.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on French television on Tuesday the death of around 15 Islamist militants after heavy fighting with French and Chadian forces overnight in northeastern Mali

And on Tuesday Admiral Edouard Guillaud told journalists that the French intervention which was launched in January was breaking the back of Aqim and its allies in Mali.

However, the relatives of French hostages being held in the Sahel region are concerned for the safety of their loved ones.

They fear that they could be used as human shields or be executed as reprisal for the deaths of islamist fighters.

Pascale Robert, the grandmother of Pierre Legrand, one of the four French nationals who were seized in Niger, has called on French president François Hollande to declare a “pause in the conflict to allow for talks with the remaining figures”.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday that there was “every reason to believe” the hostages were still alive.

Read or Listen to this story on the RFI website.

France - Mali -Chad - Article published the Tuesday 05 March 2013 - Latest update : Tuesday 05 March 2013

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R.I.P. - Corporal Cedric Charenton (FR)(Mali,Operation Serval)

"France's defence ministry said 26-year-old Corporal Cedric Charenton was shot dead on Saturday during an assault on an Islamist hideout in the desolate Adrar des Ifoghas mountains near Algeria, the third French soldier killed in the campaign."

these words came from the Ministere De La Defense website, translated with google, sry for some mistakes/errors


 Born August 24, 1986, Corporal Cédric CHARENTON sign a contract as a volunteer in the Army for five years for the 1st Airborne Infantry Regiment on 1 December 2009. Corporal Cédric CHARENTON have served France for more than three years.

After a training period during which he is licensed skydiver March 12, 2010, he joined the 2nd company of the 1st Regiment of Combat Airborne Infantry to serve as a grenadier. Upon his arrival in his new unit, he reveals a very promising profile and excellent soldier. It is raised to the 1st class distinction on 1 July 2010.
...
Just finished his internship, he was appointed July 10, 2011, with his band to join Afghanistan as part of Operation PAMIR within arms task force KAPISA / Battle Group Raptor to replace a group of 1st combat company severely affected. He distinguished himself with his friends for more than three months in the Afghan valleys.
...
Its qualities are unanimously recognized as a soldier and his service are rewarded with a promotion to Corporal April 1, 2012.
Projected in Gabon with his company from June to November 2012, in the 6th battalion of marines, he gives freely throughout the mission, distinguishing himself especially during commando training in jungle.

January 25, 2013, he was selected to participate in the operation SERVAL Mali. On March 2, the unit conducting the search and destruction in the massif of Adrar - more precisely in the valley Ametettai, about fifty miles south of Tessalit - has repeatedly urged during the day of fighting with terrorists. During one of these actions, to 18 hours, while the section amounted to an assault on an enemy position, Corporal Cédric CHARENTON was fatally wounded.

Corporal Cédric CHARENTON held the bronze medal in the national defense, the French Commemorative Medal with Afghanistan clasp medal and non-Article 5 NATO - ISAF.

Aged 26 years, single, was killed in the performance of its mission in the service of France.


official link:
http://www.defense.gouv.fr/terre/a-la-une/mali-deces-du-caporal-cedric-charenton-du-1er-rcp  

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