No Result
View All Result
Monday, June 5, 2023
24 °c
Tripoli
23 ° Tue
22 ° Wed
22 ° Thu
24 ° Fri
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
 
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

US Libya airstrike kills seven terror suspects including Algerian AQIM leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar

byNigel Ash
June 15, 2015
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
US Libya airstrike kills seven terror suspects including Algerian AQIM leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the AQIM leader behind the Algerian gas plant massacre (file photo)

13
SHARES
55
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Adam Ali.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the AQIM leader behind the Algerian gas plant massacre (file photo)
Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the AQIM leader behind the Algerian gas plant massacre (file photo)

Benghazi 14 June 2015:

In what could be the first extension of the Washington-led air war against terrorists in Syria . . .[restrict]and Iraq, the US today killed seven leading members of Libya’s Al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Al-Sharia in an airstrike on a farm outside Ajdabiya.

One of the victims of the raid, which happened at 2am this morning, was the Algerian Mokhtar Belmokhtar, former leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) who was accused of organising the January 2013 attack on Algeria’s desert  Im-Amenas gas processing plant, in which 39 hostages and an Algerian guard died.

Belmokhtar, 43, also known as Khaled Abou El Abbas or Laaouar, is believed to have survived an assassination attempt in Qasr Ben Gashir last year. He was known to have been in Sirte recently. Last December there was a mystery helicopter attack on a camp near Traghen, south of Sebha which was believed to house militants connected with Belmokhtar.

RELATED POSTS

Top law firm joins new British Libyan Business Association

An academy with a difference in Tripoli

This morning’s raid reportedly targeted a farm, 18 kilometres outside Ajdabiya which is owned by Al-Saadi al-Nofali, one of Ansar’s leaders in the town. It is understood that a number of senior militants was meeting there. Locals reported an earth-shattering explosion which they compared to the bomb and missile strikes during the NATO air war during the revolution. A  photo clearly taken several hours after the attack, when it was light,  shows a distant plume of black smoke .

Smoke said to be rising from the farm after the US attack (photo: social media)
Smoke said to be rising from the farm after the US attack (photo: social media)

Washington earlier this evening confirmed the raid against a “mid-level Al-Qaeda operative in Libya” but declined to give a location. Pentagon spokesman Col Steve Warren said that it was thought that the raid had been successful but the outcome was still being assessed. However, ABC later quoted a government official confirming that the target had been Belmokhtar, who could hardly be described as a mid-level commander.

To have mounted such a strike precisely when senior terror suspects were meeting suggests a high level of intelligence.

The government in Beida issued a statement that said that the US had consulted it in advance of the raid.

“The Libyan government confirms that this operation is part of the international support which has long been called for by the interim Libyan government to fight terrorism, which has become a dangerous obsession at the regional and international situation”. It called for further “consultation and co-ordination” to counter IS control of Sirte, its westward push toward Misrata, to the south toward Jufra and its drive into the oil crescent”.

A local in Ajdabiya told the Libya Herald this evening that Ansar, IS and Ajdabiya Shura Council members had tended to mix. The roadblock near the farm attacked this morning, initially assumed to be the target, was generally manned by militants from all three groups.

After the farm attack, there was an attempt to bring the wounded into town for treatment at Al-Magrief hospita. It was met with stiff resistance both from ordinary citizens but also troops from the Libya Army 151 Battalion’s base in the town, attacked last week in a property dispute and members of Ibrahim Jadhran’s Petroleum Facilities Guard.

Video footage showed locals and military units firing down a broad boulevard towards the approaching Ansar, IS and Shura Council forces. The fighting appears to have been heavy and this evening the names were released of five dead among the defenders. Two soldiers, Ahmed Elhouderi and Mograbi were killed along with civilians, Ali Younes Zatar Zwai, Ayman Alstrh Kabyle and Daud Saaiti. There were also 18 injured. Casualties among the attackers are unknown.

 

LCDF support banner [/restrict]

 
Tags: ajdabiyafeaturedLibyaMokhtar BelmokhtarUS raid
Share5Tweet3Share1

Related Posts

AMLY School is offering an innovative approach to learning in Libya
Libya

AMLY School is offering an innovative approach to learning in Libya

June 4, 2023
Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Members of illegal organizations given imprisonment and death sentences by Misrata Criminal Court

May 30, 2023
State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli
Libya

State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

May 29, 2023
FDCC destroys non-conforming shipments of medicines, calls on suppliers to respect Libyan health standards
Libya

FDCC destroys non-conforming shipments of medicines, calls on suppliers to respect Libyan health standards

May 29, 2023
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Tripoli Libyan government conducts drone strikes against criminal hideouts in western coast

May 25, 2023
AmCham Libya Networking Breakfast
Libya

US Embassy in Tripoli announces easing of visa protocol: One-year multiple entry visas now replace three-month single-entry visas

May 24, 2023
Next Post
Hafter sacks Faraj Barasi a second time

Hafter sacks Faraj Barasi a second time

Libyan oil production up to 500,000 bpd: NOC

 

Advertise on LibyaHerald

Reach thousands of our site visitors daily

240 x 400px

Advertise Here
ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

    State recognised militia and Libyan Army clash in central Tripoli

    243 shares
    Share 97 Tweet 61
  • HB Group opens Apple authorised I-Shop reseller in Tripoli’s Siyahia

    66 shares
    Share 26 Tweet 17
  • Members of illegal organizations given imprisonment and death sentences by Misrata Criminal Court

    55 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • Sirte Oil Company’s smart fields give it higher efficiency, more accurate real-time data for timely decisions

    49 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 12
  • The International Conference on Arbitration in Libya – held in Tripoli with international participation

    43 shares
    Share 17 Tweet 11
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

On National Information Technology Day, the mini-satellite project CubeSat was launched

Ministry of Industry provides support to the Industrial Research Centre

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Cart
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Sign In with Facebook
    Sign In with Linked In
    OR

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Sign Up with Facebook
    Sign Up with Linked In
    OR

    Fill the forms bellow to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
    Are you sure want to unlock this post?
    Unlock left : 0
    Are you sure want to cancel subscription?