French staff posted photos of the Droukdel liquidation

The General Staff of the French armed forces revealed the details of the security operation to liquidate the leader of “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb” Abdelmalek Droukdel, and published some pictures of the operation.

On Thursday, the staff said to reporters that the French forces had received information from US intelligence and allies two days before the operation on June 3, about the “target” presence in the desert region of northern Mali close to the Algerian border.

French forces spotted a white four-wheel drive vehicle between the rocks, then summoned helicopter gunships.

Two “Caracal” helicopters, with 15 commandos on board, flew with two other combat helicopters, to the area.

And in one of the published pictures, the mentioned car appeared. The General Staff indicated that 5 gunmen were observed near them, who tried to flee the moment the operation started.

The French forces managed to arrest one gunman and liquidate the others. Among the dead, the identity of the leader of “Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb” Abd al-Malik Droukdel and the name Tawfiq al-Shayeb, who was responsible for propagating the organization, was identified.

The dead were buried at the site. The French soldiers confiscated the terrorists’ mobile phones and computers. The General Staff expressed the hope that the contents of these devices will help in identifying the reason for the presence of Droukdel in northern Mali at that moment.