France says its forces have killed a senior al-Qaida commander during an operation in northeastern Mali. Bah ag Moussa was a leader of the militant group's North Africa wing.
A French soldier stands inside a military helicopteImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/C.P. Tesson
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France said Friday its forces had killed a senior al-Qaida commander during an operation in northeastern Mali.
Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said that a French military strike claimed the life of Bah ag Moussa, a leader of the militant group's North Africa wing.
"A historic figure of the jihadist movement in the Sahel, Bah ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces," Parly said in a statement.
Moussa, who was on the US terrorism list, was killed on Tuesday after an operation involving ground troops and helicopters.
What impact does Moussa's death have?
His death comes after a series of operations that have seen French forces kill dozens of Islamist fighters in recent weeks.
France commemorates 2015 Paris terror attacks — in pictures
France is marking the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks with moments of silence and solemn memorials across the city. The country is once again back on high alert following a wave of recent attacks.
Image: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images
Remembering victims of 2015 attacks
France marked the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris terror attacks with solemn memorials across the city. Over 130 people were killed by Islamic State extremists who carried out coordinated attacks at France's national stadium, the Bataclan theater and several cafes. Prime Minister Jean Castex and other French officials attended silent ceremonies, starting at the Stade de France.
Image: Christophe Archambault/REUTERS
France once again on high alert
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin took part in the memorials, paying tribute outside the Stade de France stadium. France is on high alert again following attacks in recent weeks. "We face a double-edged threat: from outside, people sent from abroad, and a grave internal threat, people who are amongst us, our enemies within. Those threats are increasing," Darmanin told franceinfo radio.
Image: Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images
Socially-distanced commemorations
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other officials stood in silence, spaced far apart, outside the La Bonne Biere cafe — one of five that was hit by gunfire on November 13, 2015. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and France's partial lockdown, the public was not able to physically join this year's memorials.
Image: Christophe Archambault/REUTERS
Trauma of the Bataclan 'not forgotten'
The horror of the attacks remains fresh for many survivors. "You can't just erase that from your memory," Laurent Tigrane Tovmassian, who has been treating survivors, told DW. "The only way to move forward is to accept it and incorporate it into your life. Then, you might at one point even be able to say: What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."
Image: Christophe Archambault/REUTERS
France's deadliest peacetime attack
The scars left by the attacks remain visible in placard memorials across the French capital. "Today, five years on, Paris remembers," Paris Mayor Hidalgo tweeted during the memorials, adding the Latin motto of Paris: "Fluctuat Nec Mergitur" (She is rocked but does not sink).
Image: Christophe Archambault/REUTERS
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"This is a major success in the fight against terrorism," Parly said.
Security experts in Mali are more skeptical regarding the impact of Moussa's death. Ousmane Kornio, a Mali security expert who advises the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Germany, does not believe that his killing will curb terror activities in the country.
"Terrorism in the region is like a snake with many heads," Kornio told DW. "If you cut off one, another head grows in its place."
Why are French forces in Mali?
Former colonial power France has more than 5,100 personnel spread across the region with a large portion in Mali operating against rising militancy.
But fighting has spread to central Mali, and to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, leaving thousands dead and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes.
Mali's military coup
Vast swathes of Mali lie outside effective government control. Frustration over the seemingly endless conflict contributed to mass protests that led to the military ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (below) on August 18.
Former Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was ousted in an August 18 coupImage: AFP/L. Marin
Mali’s new interim government, which was appointed to rule for 18 months before staging elections, appears willing to engage in dialogue.
Last month, it secured the release of four hostages held by Islamist groups — including 75-year-old Sophie Petronin, the last remaining French hostage in the world — in exchange for about 200 prisoners, some of whom are thought to have been jihadists.
