In a statement made public this Friday, November 13, the French army announced that it had killed the military leader of the Sahelian branch of Al Qaeda, the Malian Bah Ag Moussa, during an airport operation carried out last Tuesday in northeast Mali.
According to the Reuters agency, the former Malian army officer, also known as Bamoussa Diarra, was a lieutenant of Iyad Ag Ghali, the Tuareg chief of the Rally for the Victory of Islam and Muslims (RVIM), linked to Al Qaeda.
“Historical framework of the jihadist movement in the Sahel, Bah Ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against the Malian and international forces,” says Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces.
Bah Ag Moussa deserted the Malian army in 2012 to join the rebellion and found with Iyad Ag Ghali the jihadist group Ansar Dine, who became RVIM (or GSIM or JNIM, according to the retained acronym) thanks to a merger with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI) and other Islamist groups.
