Ibrahim Ag Inawalen | |
|---|---|
| Born | Abeibara, Kidal Region, Mali |
| Died | May 18, 2015 Northeast Kidal region, Mali |
| Cause of death | French airstrike |
| Allegiance |  Mali (until 2006) Ansar Dine (2012-2015) |
| Rank | Colonel (Malian Army, until 2006) Commander of Aguelhok (Ansar Dine, 2013-2014) Emir (Ansar Dine, 2014-2015) |
| Battles / wars | Mali War |
Ibrahim Ag Inawalen, nom de guerre Bana, was a Malian soldier and jihadist in Ansar Dine.
Ag Inawalen was born in Abeïbara, Kidal Region, Mali. [1] He was a colonel in the Malian army until 2006, when he deserted. [2] [1]
When the Mali War began in 2012, Ag Inawalen joined Ansar Dine and became commander of the group in Aguelhok. [3] In January of 2012, he took part in the Battle of Aguelhok and may have been responsible for the massacre of the Malian garrison. [2] Ag Inawalen was also responsible for the stoning of a couple in the city who had conceived children outside of marriage. [1]
In 2013, Ag Inawalen took part in the Battle of Tigharghar against French and Chadian forces. [4] He then participated in negotiations with Mohamed Akotey in the release of four hostages from Arlit, and afterward Serge Lazarevic. [1] [5] Following the death of other jihadist leaders, Ag Inawalen became the second-in-command of Ansar Dine around 2014 to 2015. [1]
Ag Inawalen was killed in a French airstrike the night between May 17 and 18, 2015. That night, he met with Abdelkrim al-Targui, a leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, in an area northeast of Kidal. The two jihadists and their two bodyguards were killed in the operation. [6] [7]