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A day after President Emmanuel Macron ordered a partial exit of French forces in the Sahel region, the French Minister of the Armed Forces has announced the killing of a top Al-Qaeda leader, Baye ag Bakabo.
The French Minister said a substantial part of the forces will be kept behind in the region despite the President’s instructions.
Speaking on Friday, Florence Parly explained Baye ag Bakabo was killed by the French military 6days ago on the 5th of June. The Al-Qaeda leader had been tagged with the killing of two French reporters in Mali eight years ago.
The Minister added that three other militants died during the sting operation on the leader. In the statement, Parly said “an operation was launched against an armed terrorist group which was about to unleash mortar fire on a base held by a Chadian battalion of MINUSMA,”
French journalists Claude Verlon and Ghislaine Dupont were abducted and killed in 2013 by Al-Qaeda terrorist sect and ever since, their families have chased a legal means to nailing their killers.
France, following Macron’s order had changed its approach, as it now prefers to be a part of a broader counter-terrorism engagement than be a lone supporter of the Sahelian nations forces.
Minister Parly said the French troops are not totally leaving but will be part of a more international approach to fighting insecurity in the region.
