Nasser Al Tergui was number two in the Gourma-Serma katiba of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and head of the Gourma katiba, active along the Malo-Burkina Faso border.
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The French army killed on Saturday (October 16) in Mali the jihadist leader Nasser Al Tergui, commander of the Gourma katiba of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) close to Al-Qaeda, the state announced. -major Thursday 21. Nasser Al Tergui was number two of the Gourma-Serma katiba of GSIM and head of the Gourma katiba, active along the Malo-Burkinabè border, details the staff in a press release. According to the French armies, “Nasser Al Tergui exercised important operational responsibilities within the katiba of Gourma-Serma. He was particularly specialized in the laying of improvised explosive devices and mines.”
Artificer
Nasser Al Tergui joined the ranks of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqmi) in 2012, when Timbuktu was captured by jihadist groups. “Friday, October 15, a vehicle carrying five individuals on board was spotted by a drone about one hundred kilometers north-west of Gossi. The cross-checking of various information made it possible to confirm the presence on board of this vehicle of Nasser Al Tergui “, accompanied by four other members of the GSIM, details the press release.
#Barkhane | Confirmation of the neutralization on October 16, in the South East of Gossi, of Nasser Al Tergui, head of the Katiba du Gourma of the Rally for the Victory of Islam and Muslims (RVIM) and 4 other members of RVIM. https://t.co/SPNtfsJwQf pic.twitter.com/wJQEGQ80Sw
– French Army – Military operations (@EtatMajorFR) October 21, 2021
On October 16, the vehicle headed south. “The soldiers of the Barkhane force decide to launch an operation to intercept the vehicle and the five individuals”, corn “the vehicle refusing to stop, two air strikes are launched to stop it. The vehicle is destroyed and the five occupants are neutralized.” A commando group was helicoptered to the area of the strike to recognize it and recover material of interest, during operation, said AFP.
“Dialogue”
This new neutralization of a jihadist leader by the French comes as the Malian authorities have officially entrusted the Ministry of Religious Affairs with the issue of dialogue with certain jihadist groups, at a delicate moment in relations with Paris. France, Mali’s main ally, has always refused this dialogue. Relations between Bamako and Paris are going through their most serious crisis since the start of the French engagement in 2013. The Malian Prime Minister denounced as a “abandonment in mid-flight” the French decision to reduce its workforce in the Sahel by 2023. Paris considers that Bamako’s possible recourse to the Russian company of mercenaries Wagner is incompatible with the French presence.