The president of Chad, Idriss Deby, announced on Friday that Chadian troops, who are part of a larger African force fighting in northern Mali, have killed one of al-Qaeda’s leading commanders in that country.
Deby’s spokesman said that he announced Abdelhamid Abou Zeid’s death during a ceremony on Friday for Chadian soldiers killed in fighting in Mali. Abou Zeid is the Algerian leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
His death, which could not immediately be verified, would be a major blow to the group and to its growing influence in North Africa.
Officials in Mali and in France, which is leading an international military intervention in Mali against fighters linked to AQIM, could not confirm reports of Abou Zeid’s death.
The spokesman insisted on anonymity because he was not authorised to speak ahead of an announcement on state television on the matter. He gave no further details.
The French military moved into Mali on January 11 to push back al-Qaeda-linked fighters who had imposed strict Islamic rule in the north. They seized power there after a military coup last year, and had started moving south towards the capital, Bamako.
France is trying to rally other African troops to help in the military campaign, since Mali’s military is weak and poorly-equipped. Chadian troops have offered the most robust reinforcements.
For the past 10 days, French military, along with Chadian forces, have been locked in a weeklong battle against the fighters in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains of northern Mali, fighting which has left scores dead.
