The French forces announced that they had killed at least 50 extremists allied to Al Qaeda in an area near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger. The offensive conducted by airstrikes occurred after drone images detected a large motorcycle caravan in the “three borders” area.
French Defense Minister Florence Parly said that offensive that was conducted by the Barkahne the CT Force in the Sahel region and also seized a large cache of weapons and material as well as destroying over 30 motorcycles used by the terrorists. Initial intelligence indicates that the group was traveling under trees to avoid detection by drones active in the area, had explosives and suicide vests. Additionally, information acquired from the 4 captured jihadists revealed that their target was an army position in the central Mali region.
An Al Qaeda alliance has been setting roots in the region under the revitalized leadership of Iyad Ag Ghaly who took over the leadership of the group in the Sahel region after the Qaeda commander Abdelmalek Droukdel was killed by French forces in Mali in June.
While the global consensus is not to negotiate with terrorists, security analysts argue that engaging in dialogue with extremists is one of the few escape routes from Mali’s cycle of violence as both sides especially the newly appointed transitional government are willing to come to the round table to discuss the cessation of violence in Mali.
