Military

French Military Kills Some 30 Terrorists in Mali Raid, as Well as One of Al Qaeda’s Top Leaders in North Africa

November 14, 2020Nolan Peterson
French forces over Nigeria. Photo by Thomas Goisque via Wikimedia Commons.

French forces over Nigeria. Photo by Thomas Goisque via Wikimedia Commons.

The French military has dealt a deadly double blow to al Qaeda in North Africa, killing one of the region’s top terrorist leaders as well as dozens of militants.


A French commando raid on Thursday, supported by fighter planes and combat helicopters, killed some 30 members of an armed jihadist group in Mali, the French military reported Friday. French Army spokesman Frederic Barbry told Agence France-Presse that the French operation targeted the al Qaeda-aligned Group to Support Islam and Muslims, or GSIM, a militant jihadist group operating in North Africa.


The raid comprised a French mountain commando team supported by airstrikes from Mirage fighter jets and Tiger attack helicopters, a French military statement said. The battle reportedly lasted “about an hour” and took place near Niaki, in central Mali.


The French military also announced on Friday that it had killed a key GSIM commander, Ba Ag Moussa, during a Tuesday “high level operation” involving ground troops and helicopters in northeastern Mali. Moussa, a former Malian army officer, was a top deputy to Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of GSIM, which is Mali’s branch of al Qaeda and the country’s most notorious armed group.


“A historic figure of the jihadist movement in the Sahel, Ba Ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces,” French Defense Minister Florence Parly said in a Friday statement, announcing that Moussa had been “neutralized.”


“This is a major success in the fight against terrorism,” Parly said, adding: “Indiscriminately, whether it is [ISIS] or al Qaeda, France strikes those who, in the name of their deadly ideology, attack civilian populations and wish to stabilize the states of the region.”




Symbolically, French officials announced the dual counterterrorism operations on Friday, the five-year anniversary of the Nov. 13, 2015, Bataclan terrorist attacks in Paris, in which ISIS terrorists killed 130 people in a coordinated series of bombings and shootings.


France has about 5,000 troops deployed to North Africa as part of an ongoing counterterrorism mission called Operation Barkhane. Since its inception in 2014, the French counterterrorism operation has reportedly killed more than 600 terrorists in Africa’s Sahel region. About 50 French military personnel died during those missions. In January, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s commitment to counterterrorism operations in Africa, pledging another 220 troops to Operation Barkhane.


The Sahel is a vast region stretching more than 3,000 miles across Africa, from the Atlantic in the west through Sudan in the east. Northern Mali fell under the control of terrorist groups in 2012, creating a lawless space akin to what Afghanistan was like prior to America’s 2001 invasion.


Some 25 Islamist militant groups operate across Africa, according to the US Department of Defense. About 6,000 US defense personnel are currently deployed to Africa, the Military Times reported.



Nolan Peterson
Nolan Peterson
Nolan Peterson is a senior editor for Coffee or Die Magazine and the author of Why Soldiers Miss War. A former US Air Force special operations pilot and a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Nolan is now a conflict journalist and author whose adventures have taken him to all seven continents. In addition to his memoirs, Nolan has published two fiction collections. He lives in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his wife, Lilya.
More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Coffee Or Die Photo
Get Your Viking On: The Exclusive 30 Sec Out BRCC Shirt Club Design

Thirty Seconds Out has partnered with BRCC for an exclusive shirt design invoking the God of Winter.

Grizzly Forge BRCC shirt
Limited Edition: Grizzly Forge Blades on an Awesome BRCC Shirt

Lucas O'Hara of Grizzly Forge has teamed up with BRCC for a badass, exclusive Shirt Club T-shirt design featuring his most popular knife and tiomahawk.

BRCC Limited Edition Josh Raulerson Blackbeard Skull Shirt
From Naval Service to Creative Canvas: BRCC Veteran Artist Josh Raulerson

Coffee or Die sits down with one of the graphic designers behind Black Rifle Coffee's signature look and vibe.

Medal of Honor is held up.
Biden Will Award Medal of Honor to Army Helicopter Pilot Who Rescued Soldiers in Vietnam Firefight

Biden will award the Medal of Honor to a Vietnam War Army helicopter pilot who risked his life to save a reconnaissance team from almost certain death.

dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

Ouija Board aircraft carrier
Low-Tech ‘Ouija Boards’ Have Helped Aircraft Carriers Operate for Decades

Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2024 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved