French Forces Kill Top Al-Qaeda Leader in Mali’s Sahel Region

In a statement to AFP during a tour of several countries in the Sahel region, Florence Parly, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, stated that the French forces in Mali, in coordination with the Malian forces and with American support, killed the jihadist Ali Maychou in the night of October 8 to 9.

"This is the neutralization of a very influential character," she said, adding that this Moroccan was the second most wanted terrorist in the Sahel, including by the Americans.

In 2012, Ali Maychou had joined Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). To his credit, several attacks carried out by the GSIM in Mali and Burkina Faso, among others.

For Florence Parly, "it is very important to disorganize these movements in depth, but this does not mean that these movements are self-destructing in parallel."

Her dearest wish, she said, is to continue this counter-terrorism work in order to secure the Sahel countries.