Bombardment of Ametettai

Last updated
Bombardment of Ametettai
Part of Mali War
DateMarch 4–5, 2014
Location
Ametettai, Kidal Region, Mali
Result French victory
Belligerents
Flag of France.svg France Flag of Jihad.svg al-Mourabitoun
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Omar Ould Hamaha  
Abdelwaheb al-Harrachi 
Casualties and losses
None 11 killed
Several injured

Between March 4 and 5, 2014, French forces conducted a bombing campaign in the Ametettai mountains of Kidal Region against al-Mourabitoun. The bombings killed Omar Ould Hamaha, a prominent jihadist commander, and several other militants.

Contents

Background

During the initial days of Operation Serval, French forces launched raids against Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other jihadists groups in their headquarters in the Ametettai mountains in rural Kidal Region. Chadian forces fought a major battle in the Ametettai mountains during the Battle of Ifoghas in February and March 2013. In January 2014, American-made Reaper drones bought by France were used in Mali for the first time. [1]

Bombardment

On March 4, French observation drones spotted a group of jihadists in the Ametettai valley. According to French minister of defense Jean-Yves Le Drian, around ten militants had rockets launchers and an arms cache. [1] French fighter jets then came back to Ametettai in the late afternoon of March 4, and launched airstrikes five hours later. [2] The jihadists shot back with a single rocket attack, but it missed. [2]

A Malian army official stated eleven jihadists were killed in the bombing. A few others were injured, and were able to escape. [3] [2] French intelligence stated Omar Ould Hamaha, a prominent jihadist commander, and Abdelwaheb al-Harrachi were killed in the attack. [4] [5] These statements were disputed by AQIM spokesperson Abou Assem al-Moujahir, who claimed Hamaha was still alive and that the French statements were unfounded. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Mali: nouvelle opération antiterroriste de l'armée française". Le Figaro (in French). 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  2. 1 2 3 à 20h01, Par Le 6 mars 2014 (2014-03-06). "Mali : une dizaine de combattants d'Aqmi tués par les forces françaises". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "Une dizaine de combattants d'Aqmi tués dans le nord-est du Mali". RFI (in French). 2014-03-07. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  4. "Mali: mort d'un important jihadiste". RFI (in French). 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. "Plus de 40 djihadistes ont été tués dans le nord du Mali par les forces françaises". Le Monde.fr (in French). 2014-03-21. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. "Aqmi dément la mort d'un de ses chefs annoncée par Paris". www.rtl.fr (in French). 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2024-02-24.