Sahel: Aqmi confirms the death of its leader

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqmi) recognized in a video the death of its leader, the Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdal, announced by France in early June, according to the American group Site specialized in the surveillance of jihadist organizations. Aqmi recognizes his death in a video praising his funeral, and promising to continue the fight against French and other forces in North Africa and the Sahel, said on Thursday the director of Site, Rita Katz, on her Twitter account.

France announced in early June that its special forces had killed Droukdal (or Droukdel, according to the spelling) in northern Mali bordering Algeria. The United States said it had provided information and support. A central figure in Sahelo-Saharan jihad for several decades, one of its main feats of arms had been to unite under the same banner of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) the main jihadist groups of the region in 2017. The GSIM, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is one of the two main jihadist mobilities in the Sahel. The other, affiliated with the Islamic State organization, is led by Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui.

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