Malian army targets al-Qaeda
2009-06-18
In a statement issued on Wednesday (June 17th), the Malian Defence Ministry said a major counter-terrorism operation began June 10th in the "Sahel-Sahara band" of Northern Mali and the border region with Algeria, Niger and Mauritania, AFP reported. The offensive follows the recent execution of British hostage Edwin Dyer and the assassination of a senior Malian intelligence official in Timbuktu who was investigating al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
"These operations are justified by growing threats in this area, such as the taking of hostages, which are now cross-border and affect people's daily lives" the ministry statement said, without disclosing the number of troops involved in this first-ever offensive targeting al-Qaeda terrorists in northern Mali.
On Tuesday, Malian armed forces seized an al-Qaeda terrorist base in the northern Timetrine region near the Algerian border, killing as many two dozen terrorists.
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