French soldiers have arrested a terrorist leader of the Islamic State in Mali. Oumeya Ould Albakaye was overwhelmed by special forces in an action that had been prepared for weeks.
French troops have arrested a regional leader of the terrorist militia Islamic State in the Sahel (ISGS) in the West African crisis state of Mali. Oumeya Ould Albakaye was overpowered not far from the Mali-Niger border by soldiers from the Barkhane anti-terrorist mission, the Defense Ministry said in Paris on Wednesday. The operation in the night from Saturday to Sunday had been prepared for weeks.
In addition to attacks on the local population, France also accuses the Islamists of attacking the Barkhane troops in order to drive them out of Mali. It was also said that the blow was a success for the French anti-terrorist mission and weakened the terrorist militia in the border region. The ISGS is a major offshoot of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS). He is primarily responsible for attacks in the Sahel states of Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali.
Due to considerable political tensions, France and its international partners announced an end to the anti-terrorist fight in Mali in February and announced a coordinated withdrawal of around 4,300 soldiers. A number of armed groups are active in the Sahel region, which stretches south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea. Some have pledged allegiance to the terrorist groups Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda. The EU training mission EUTM and the UN stabilization mission Minusma, in which the Bundeswehr is involved with a good 1,350 soldiers, are also running in Mali.
