France Assassinates Al-Qaeda Leader in Mali

According to the French military, Nasser Al-Tergui, one of the leaders of the Katiba of Gourma-Serma in Mali, operating under Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM)), was killed by airstrikes in the outskirts of Bambou.

Al-Tergui was assassinated while the Mali government agreed last week with the militants to negotiate on a ceasefire to end years of bloodshed in the country. The French move could be considered as a warning to the Mali government to compromise with the militants.

Claiming to fight terrorism, France has deployed more than 5,000 troops in Mali and other African countries, and somehow manages the region’s economic resources and developments.