Al-Qaeda-linked militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who allegedly masterminded the siege of an Algerian gasplant in which 38 hostages died, has been killed in aUS air strike, Libya’s internationally recognised government stated.
“American jets conducted an operation which resulted in the deaths of Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a group of Libyans belonging to a terrorist organization in eastern Libya,” said the statement, which was posted on Facebook.
The Pentagon said Belmokhtar had been the target of the strike but did not confirm he had been killed.
Islamist commander Belmokhtar, nicknamed variously as “The Uncatchable”, “Mr Marlboro” and “The One-Eyed”, was the leader of the North African Al-Murabitoun militant group and a former chief of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
Wanted for terrorist activities in several countries, he was the alleged mastermind behind the 2013 siege of an Algerian gas plant in which 38 mostly Western hostages were killed.
“I can confirm that the target of last night’s counterterrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said in a statement.
