Mokhtar Belmokhtar

Mokhtar Belmokhtar was born in Ghardaïa, Algeria, on 1 June 1972 to a father named "Mohamed" and a mother named "Zohra Chemkha". He married four local Berber and Tuareg women from prominent families in northern Mali, cementing his ties in the region.{{cite book|author1=Norman Cigar|author2=Stephanie E. Kramer|title=Al-Qaida After Ten Years of War: A Global Perspective of Successes, Failures, and Prospects: A Global Perspective of Successes, Failures, and Prospects|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fXiTYOM2BsgC&pg=PA136|access-date=22 January 2013|date=30 March 2012|publisher=Government Printing Office|isbn=978-0-16-090299-4|page=136|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012222206/http://books.google.com/books?id=fXiTYOM2BsgC&pg=PA136|archive-date=12 October 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar, al-Qaeda's man in the Sahara?|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mokhtar-belmokhtar-al-qaeda-s-man-in-the-sahara-1.1305559|access-date=6 September 2015|publisher=CBC News|date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924203447/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/mokhtar-belmokhtar-al-qaeda-s-man-in-the-sahara-1.1305559|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}} He named a son Osama, after Bin Laden.{{cite news|title=Jihad 'Prince,' a Kidnapper, Is Tied to Raid|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/world/africa/mokhtar-belmokhtar-thought-to-be-kidnappings-mastermind.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0|access-date=18 January 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=17 January 2013|author=Steven Erlanger|author2=Adam Nossiter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714050854/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/18/world/africa/mokhtar-belmokhtar-thought-to-be-kidnappings-mastermind.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0|archive-date=14 July 2018|url-status=live}} Omar Ould Hamaha, his uncle by marriage, was the commander of a smaller AQIM offshoot.{{cite news|last=Hinshaw|first=Drew|title=A Terror Leader Emerges, Then Vanishes, in the Sahara|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323511804578296170934762536 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211042101/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323511804578296170934762536.html |archive-date=11 February 2013|access-date=2 October 2015|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=2 March 2013}} In October 2015, Al-Qaeda spokesman, Hassan Abderraouf announced that Mokhtar was killed, but did not reveal when.{{cite news|last1=Gall|first1=Carlotta|title=Tunisia: Al Qaeda Announces Jihadist's Death|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/world/africa/tunisia-al-qaeda-announces-jihadists-death.html|work=The New York Times|date=6 October 2015|access-date=6 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009015821/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/world/africa/tunisia-al-qaeda-announces-jihadists-death.html|archive-date=9 October 2015|url-status=live}}

Belmokhtar became interested in jihad as a schoolboy. In 1991, at the age of 19, he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan to fight with the mujahadeen against the Afghan Communist government in the Civil War in Afghanistan. He trained in al-Qaeda's Afghan camps at Khalden and Jalalabad.{{cite web|last=Jacinto|first=Leela|title=Key figures in al Qaeda's North African branch|url=https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Documents/North%20Africa/Security/Key%20figures%20in%20al%20Qaeda%20North%20Africa.pdf|publisher=CIMIC|access-date=21 January 2013|date=27 September 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214025331/https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/medbasin/Documents/North%20Africa/Security/Key%20figures%20in%20al%20Qaeda%20North%20Africa.pdf|archive-date=14 December 2013}}

Belmokhtar lost his left eye in the 1990s while mishandling explosives. He wore a false eye in its place after that.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/murdering-kidnapping-smuggling-jihadist-has-done-it-all/story-fnb64oi6-1226556205402|title=Jihadist has done it all|work=The Australian|access-date=18 January 2013|date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117154029/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/murdering-kidnapping-smuggling-jihadist-has-done-it-all/story-fnb64oi6-1226556205402|archive-date=17 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/americans-held-hostage-al-qaeda-algeria/story?id=18229633|title=At Least 3 Americans Held Hostage by Al Qaeda in Algeria|publisher=ABC News|date=19 April 2005|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118024455/https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/americans-held-hostage-al-qaeda-algeria/story?id=18229633|archive-date=18 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20100924-aqim-al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-key-figures-north-africa-branch|title=Key figures in al Qaeda's North African branch|publisher=FRANCE 24|date=24 September 2010|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117151252/http://www.france24.com/en/20100924-aqim-al-qaeda-islamic-maghreb-key-figures-north-africa-branch|archive-date=17 January 2013|url-status=dead}}

He returned in 1993 to his native Algeria. There, he joined the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), an extremist Islamist organisation dedicated to overthrowing the Algerian government and replacing it with an Islamic state. He fought in the long and bloody Algerian Civil War to overthrow the Algerian government. The GIA massacred civilians, sometimes wiping out entire villages.{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Algerian-kidnapper-Belmokhtar-Islamist-or-brigand/articleshow/18074192.cms|title=Algerian kidnapper Belmokhtar: Islamist or brigand?|work=The Times of India|date=18 January 2013|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118235225/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Algerian-kidnapper-Belmokhtar-Islamist-or-brigand/articleshow/18074192.cms|archive-date=18 January 2013|url-status=live}} Belmokhtar's fierce reputation earned him prestige with the GIA, and he quickly rose to the rank of commander. However, as the GIA began to splinter and fall apart in the late 1990s, Belmokhtar left the organization.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofterrori00grar |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofterrori00grar/page/311 311] |quote=Mokhtar Belmokhtar emir. |title=The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda |year=2007 |publisher=University of California Press |author=Gérard Chaliand, Arnaud Blin|access-date=24 January 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-24/203559-in-amenas-attack-brings-global-jihad-home-to-alger.ashx|title=In Amenas attack brings global jihad home to Algeria|work=The Daily Star|date=16 January 2013|access-date=24 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124084353/http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-24/203559-in-amenas-attack-brings-global-jihad-home-to-alger.ashx|archive-date=24 January 2013|url-status=live}}

In 1998, Belmokhtar joined a new splinter group, the militant Algeria-based Islamist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), later known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofterrori00grar|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofterrori00grar/page/311 311]|quote=Mokhtar Belmokhtar emir.|title=The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda|author=Gérard Chaliand, Arnaud Blin|publisher=University of California Press|year=2007|access-date=19 January 2013}}{{cite book|author=Mathieu Guidère|title=Historical Dictionary of Islamic Fundamentalism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tCvhzGiDMYsC&pg=PT117|access-date=22 January 2013|date=20 July 2012|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7965-2|page=117|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626033601/http://books.google.com/books?id=tCvhzGiDMYsC&pg=PT117|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live}} Its goal was to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state, and its members carried out suicide bombings against Algerian government targets.{{cite news|last=Lister|first=Tim|title='Mr. Marlboro': The veteran jihadist behind the attack in Algeria|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/17/world/meast/algeria-who-is-belmoktar/?hpt=hp_c3|access-date=17 January 2013|publisher=CNN|date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112085850/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/17/world/meast/algeria-who-is-belmoktar/?hpt=hp_c3|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite journal|last=Filiu|first=Jean Pierre|title=Could Al-Qaeda Turn African in the Sahel?|journal=Carnegie Papers|date=June 2010|url=http://carnegieendowment.org/files/al_qaeda_sahel.pdf|access-date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615054627/http://carnegieendowment.org/files/al_qaeda_sahel.pdf|archive-date=15 June 2010|url-status=live}} Soon, he became an effective GSPC field commander.{{cite journal|last=Kennedy Boudali|first=Lianne|title=The GSPC: Newest Franchise in al-Qa'ida's Global Jihad|journal=DTIC|date=April 2007|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a466539.pdf|access-date=23 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112085913/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a466539.pdf|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}} He went to Tamanrasset, Algeria, to raise money for jihad. He gradually established an elaborate smuggling network in the ninth region, covering southern Algeria where many of the most profitable smuggling routes exist.{{cite journal|last=Smith|first=Gregory A.|title=Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb|journal=Journal of Strategic Security|pages=53–72|url=http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=jss&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fstart%3D20%26q%3DNabil%2BSahraoui%26hl%3Den%26as_sdt%3D0%2C5#search=%22Nabil%20Sahraoui%22|access-date=21 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109090130/http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=jss&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.google.com%2Fscholar%3Fstart%3D20&q=Nabil+Sahraoui&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5#search=%22Nabil%20Sahraoui%22|archive-date=9 January 2020|url-status=live}}

He smuggled cigarettes, drugs, stolen cars, diamonds, and people, using the money to buy weapons to supply insurgent groups. He also kidnapped for ransom dozens of Westerners, including diplomats, aid workers, doctors, and tourists from France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Canada.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/11/1052591681086.html|title=Bandit chief holds missing tourists|work=The Age|date=12 May 2003|access-date=23 January 2013|location=Melbourne|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414025318/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/11/1052591681086.html|archive-date=14 April 2014|url-status=live}} The kidnappings are believed to have netted him what the US State Department estimated as $50 million in ransoms for the Europeans. The global intelligence company Stratfor reported that Belmokhtar commanded an estimated $3 million per European captive.{{cite news|author=Geoffrey York, Colin Freeze And Anna Mehler Paperny|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/islamist-hostage-takers-led-by-bandit-who-abducted-canadian-diplomats/article7454741/|title=Islamist hostage-takers led by bandit who abducted Canadian diplomats|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=24 January 2013|location=Toronto|date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127101732/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/islamist-hostage-takers-led-by-bandit-who-abducted-canadian-diplomats/article7454741/|archive-date=27 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Alexander|first=Harriet|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/algeria/9813684/Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-Face-to-face-with-The-Untouchable-jihadist-leader.html|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Face to face with 'The Untouchable' jihadist leader|newspaper=The Telegraph|access-date=20 January 2013|location=London|date=20 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126013032/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/algeria/9813684/Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-Face-to-face-with-The-Untouchable-jihadist-leader.html|archive-date=26 January 2013|url-status=live}} In 2003, for example, he is believed to have received $6.5 million in ransom money for the return of 32 tourists taken captive in the Sahara Desert.{{cite news|last=Spillius|first=Alex|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/algeria/9811841/Algeria-hostage-crisis-militant-group-wanted-to-trade-US-hostages-for-Blind-Sheikh.html|title=Algeria hostage crisis: militant group wanted to trade US hostages for 'Blind Sheikh'|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=31 May 2011|access-date=19 January 2013|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121111415/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/algeria/9811841/Algeria-hostage-crisis-militant-group-wanted-to-trade-US-hostages-for-Blind-Sheikh.html|archive-date=21 January 2013|url-status=live}}

In 2003, the U.S. military had Belmokhtar under surveillance in the desert in northern Mali.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/missteps-by-us-in-africa-revealed-673431/|title=Missteps by U.S. in Africa revealed|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date=21 May 2012|access-date=6 February 2013|first=Craig|last=Whitlock|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206214606/http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/missteps-by-us-in-africa-revealed-673431/|archive-date=6 February 2013|url-status=live}} Military commanders suggested launching a missile airstrike against him. But Vicki Huddleston, the U.S. Ambassador to Mali at the time, vetoed the operation, arguing that Belmokhtar was not important enough to risk the possible repercussions. General Charles Wald wanted to provide information to Algeria and Mali so they could act on their own, but was refused permission by civilian U.S. leaders.

In June 2005, Belmokhtar and his men attacked a Mauritanian military garrison in El Mreiti. They killed at least 15 Mauritanian soldiers, and captured a significant number of weapons.

File:GSPC map.png area of operations]]

By the time GSPC developed into Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in 2006, Belmokhtar's reputation as a hardened fighter, leader, and financier gained him standing with the emir Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud (a.k.a. Abdelmalek Droukdel). He was appointed as a commander of his own brigade of AQIM. Belmokhtar's unit was particularly effective in Mauritania, where it was responsible for several armed attacks and kidnappings (See 2007 killing of French tourists in Mauritania).

In 2008, his men kidnapped the Canadian diplomats Robert Fowler and Louis Guay, who were working for the United Nations, and held them for 130 days.{{cite news|last=Stuart|first=Hunter|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar, Rebel Leader Behind Algeria Hostage Crisis, Has Long And Mysterious History|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/mokhtar-belmokhtar-algeria-hostage-crisis-history-background_n_2506018.html|access-date=19 January 2013|newspaper=HuffPost|date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122052916/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/mokhtar-belmokhtar-algeria-hostage-crisis-history-background_n_2506018.html|archive-date=22 January 2013|url-status=live}}

In 2011, his men attempted to assassinate the Israeli ambassador in Mauritania, engaging in a drive by shooting of the Israeli embassy and shooting a nightclub that Belmokhtar claimed the ambassador had been in moments earlier.

AQIM is thought to be the wealthiest al-Qaeda branch, after having gained ransoms of tens of millions of dollars for the release of kidnapped western hostages.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/mokhtar-belmokhtar-algeria-attack-leader_n_2498918.html|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar, Algeria Attack Leader, Burnishes Jihadi Credentials|work=HuffPost|date=17 October 2013|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121191008/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/17/mokhtar-belmokhtar-algeria-attack-leader_n_2498918.html|archive-date=21 January 2013|url-status=live}}

As Belmokhtar's power and prestige grew, Wadoud began to view him as a threat to his own power. Wadoud gave more responsibility to Belmokhtar's rival commander, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, to deflect Belmokhtar's growing authority in Algeria and Mali. In late 2012, Belmokhtar was either removed or chose to quit AQIM. Andy Morgan of The Independent opined that Belmokthar was ousted by Wadoud due to his "fractious behaviour".{{cite news|last=Morgan|first=Andy|title='Mr Marlboro' lands a seismic blow|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/mr-marlboro-lands-a-seismic-blow-8458855.html|access-date=20 January 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=20 January 2013|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121161143/http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/mr-marlboro-lands-a-seismic-blow-8458855.html|archive-date=21 January 2013|url-status=live}}

According to the Associated Press, a letter addressed to Belmokhtar ("Abu Khaled"), signed by the 14-member Shura Council of AQIM and dated 3 October, details "in page after scathing page" complaints that he "didn't answer his phone when they called, failed to turn in his expense reports, ignored meetings and refused time and again to carry out orders. Most of all, they claimed he had failed to carry out a single spectacular operation, despite the resources at his disposal". The letter describes a delegation sent to contact Belmokhtar that spent three years lost in the desert and then disintegrated without having reached him.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/magazine/can-we-imagine-the-life-of-a-terrorist.html?pagewanted=all|title=Can We Imagine the Life of a Terrorist?|newspaper=The New York Times|date=14 June 2013|access-date=11 January 2014|first=Robert F.|last=Worth|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713013625/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/magazine/can-we-imagine-the-life-of-a-terrorist.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=13 July 2013|url-status=live}}

It criticizes his plan to resign and start a separate organization taking orders from al-Qaida central headquarters not AQIM.

{{blockquote|Your letter ... contained some amount of backbiting, name-calling and sneering, ... We refrained from wading into this battle in the past out of a hope that the crooked could be straightened by the easiest and softest means. ... But the wound continued to bleed, and in fact increasingly bled, until your last letter arrived, ending any hope of stanching the wound and healing it.}}

{{blockquote|Why do the successive emirs of the region only have difficulties with you? You in particular every time? Or are all of them wrong and brother Khaled is right?{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10085716/Al-Qaedas-scathing-letter-to-troublesome-employee-Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-reveals-inner-workings-of-terrorist-group.html|title=Al-Qaeda's scathing letter to troublesome employee Mokhtar Belmokhtar reveals inner workings of terrorist group|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 May 2013|access-date=11 January 2014|location=London|first=Damien|last=McElroy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140305162139/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/10085716/Al-Qaedas-scathing-letter-to-troublesome-employee-Mokhtar-Belmokhtar-reveals-inner-workings-of-terrorist-group.html|archive-date=5 March 2014|url-status=live}}}}

AP states the letter, which was found "inside a building formerly occupied" by Belmokhtar fighters in Mali, has been authenticated by three different counterterrorism experts.{{cite news|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-exclusive-rise-al-qaida-saharan-terrorist%20%20|title=AP Exclusive: Rise of al-Qaida Sahara terrorist|agency=Associated Press|date=23 May 2013|access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112082933/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-exclusive-rise-al-qaida-saharan-terrorist|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}}

In 2003, the United Nations designated Belmokhtar as an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist and the US Treasury Department listed him as a financier of a terrorist organization.{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/01/mokhtar-belmokhtar-the-terrorist-behind-algerias-hostage-crisis/267286/|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the Terrorist Behind Algeria's Hostage Crisis|author=Brian Fung|work=The Atlantic|date=January 2013|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118155536/http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/01/mokhtar-belmokhtar-the-terrorist-behind-algerias-hostage-crisis/267286/|archive-date=18 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dj_UiuHRT1IC&q=Mokhtar+Belmokhtar&pg=PA128 |title=The Terrorist List: The Middle East |author=Edward F. Mickolus |access-date=23 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140105073129/http://books.google.com/books?id=dj_UiuHRT1IC&pg=PA128&dq=Mokhtar+Belmokhtar&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zC7-UPvoI6vJ0AHhkIGoBw&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCTgK#v=onepage&q=Mokhtar%20Belmokhtar&f=false |archive-date=5 January 2014 |url-status=live }} In 2004, an Algerian court sentenced him in absentia to lifetime imprisonment for forming "terrorist" groups, robbery, detention, and use of illegal weapons.{{cite web|author=United Nations Web Services Section|url=https://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/NSQI13603E.shtml|title=The Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee|publisher=UN|date=8 July 2009|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307201103/http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/NSQI13603E.shtml|archive-date=7 March 2013|url-status=live}} In 2007, another Algerian court sentenced him to death for forming terrorist groups, carrying out armed attacks, kidnapping foreigners, and importing and trafficking in illegal weapons.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSAHM833192|title=Top Algeria rebels get death sentence in absentia|work=Reuters|date=18 March 2007|access-date=23 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114092406/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/03/18/idUSAHM833192|archive-date=14 November 2012|url-status=live}} In 2008, an Algerian court convicted and sentenced him to death for murdering 13 customs officers. In 2013, a new organization was classified as a terrorist group.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/africa/state-dept-warns-of-new-terrorist-group-posing-threat-to-us-interests-in-africa.html|title=State Dept. Warns of New Terrorist Group Posing Threat to U.S. Interests in Africa|work=The New York Times|date=18 March 2007|access-date=23 January 2013|first=Michael R.|last=Gordon}}

Belmokhtar formed and commanded his own jihadist group, the Islamist al-Mulathameen (Masked) Brigade, or al-Mua'qi'oon Biddam (Those who Sign with Blood) Brigade. Like Wadoud, he continues to pledge allegiance to and take direction from al-Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri.{{cite news|author=Ian Black|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/16/mali-islamist-militants-al-qaida|title=Mali militants: who's who among Islamist rebels|newspaper=The Guardian|date=16 January 2013|access-date=24 January 2013|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131120205110/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/16/mali-islamist-militants-al-qaida|archive-date=20 November 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Ahmed|first=Baba|title=Leader of Al-Qaida Unit in Mali Quits AQIM|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/leader-al-qaida-unit-mali-quits-aqim|access-date=17 January 2013|agency=Associated Press|date=3 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121233220/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/leader-al-qaida-unit-mali-quits-aqim|archive-date=21 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda-linked group claims credit for kidnappings in Algeria|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/al_qaeda_commander_c.php|access-date=17 January 2013|newspaper=Long War Journal|date=16 January 2013|author=Thomas Joscelyn|author2=Bill Roggio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119041425/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/01/al_qaeda_commander_c.php|archive-date=19 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite news|author=Daveed Gartenstein-Ross|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/is-algerias-kidnapper-a-common-criminal-look-again/article7618417/|title=Is Algeria's kidnapper a 'common criminal?' Look again|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|access-date=22 January 2013|location=Toronto|date=22 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124211047/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/is-algerias-kidnapper-a-common-criminal-look-again/article7618417/|archive-date=24 January 2013|url-status=live}} His group allied with another Al Qaeda splinter group, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa. By mid-January 2013, the two groups held more than a dozen Western hostages.

On 16 January 2013, in the In Aménas hostage crisis, members of Belmokhtar's new brigade attacked the Tiguentourine gas field near In Aménas, Algeria, and took more than 800 hostages.{{cite news|title=Algeria hostage crisis: Japan confirms two more deaths|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21169174|access-date=25 January 2013|publisher=BBC|date=23 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124200433/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21169174|archive-date=24 January 2013|url-status=live}} He justified the attack as a reprisal for the French intervention that had begun in Mali days before.{{cite news|last=Callimachi|first=Rukmini|title=Al-Qaida carves out own country in Mali|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130114/af-mali-al-qaida-s-country/|access-date=17 January 2013|newspaper=The Huffimgton Post (AP)|date=14 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112083002/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130114/af-mali-al-qaida-s-country/|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=MacDonald|first=Myra|title=Belmokhtar burnishes jihadi credentials with Algeria attack|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSBRE90G1BD20130117|access-date=17 January 2013|work=Reuters|date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118232927/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/us-sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSBRE90G1BD20130117|archive-date=18 January 2013|url-status=live}}

Algerian forces made an assault and rescued hundreds of hostages. During the conflict, at least 39 hostages were killed, some executed with a bullet to the head by the Brigade.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-22/203339-algeria-hostage-takers-aided-by-libyan-islamists-s.ashx|title=Algeria hostage-takers aided by Libyan Islamists|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=21 January 2012|access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112084311/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jan-22/203339-algeria-hostage-takers-aided-by-libyan-islamists-s.ashx|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}} Algerian special forces killed 29 members of the Brigade and captured three, according to the Algerian government.{{cite news|title=Bloody Algeria hostage crisis ends after 'final' assault, officials say|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/19/world/africa/algeria-hostage-crisis/index.html|access-date=20 January 2013|publisher=CNN|date=19 January 2013|author=Laura Smith-Spark|author2=Joe Sterling|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903212107/http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/19/world/africa/algeria-hostage-crisis/index.html|archive-date=3 September 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Algeria details the deaths at in Amenas siege|url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/01/21/algeria-details-the-deaths-at-in-amenas-siege/|access-date=21 January 2013|newspaper=Euronews|date=21 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130124055253/http://www.euronews.com/2013/01/21/algeria-details-the-deaths-at-in-amenas-siege/|archive-date=24 January 2013|url-status=live}} In a video, Belmokhtar claimed responsibility for the attack, saying: "We are behind the blessed daring operation in Algeria... We did it for al-Qaida".{{cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/npr/170007513/seizure-of-algerian-gas-plant-could-be-next-stage-in-al-qaidas-evolution|title=Algerian Gas Plant Seizure May Mark New Stage in Al-Qaida Evolution|date=22 January 2013 |publisher=WBUR & NPR|access-date=22 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004045343/http://www.wbur.org/npr/170007513/seizure-of-algerian-gas-plant-could-be-next-stage-in-al-qaidas-evolution|archive-date=4 October 2015|url-status=live}}

British Special Air Service and Special Reconnaissance Regiment special forces, French special forces, and American units were mobilised to locate Belmokhtar.{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/algerian-hostage-crisis-sas-troops-1544605|title=Algerian hostage crisis: SAS troops prepare raid on one-eyed jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar|newspaper=Mirror|access-date=19 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119221053/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/algerian-hostage-crisis-sas-troops-1544605|archive-date=19 January 2013|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hepburnadvocate.com.au/story/1247131/hunt-begins-for-kidnap-kingpin/?cs=5|title=Hunt begins for kidnap kingpin|date=20 January 2013 |publisher=The Advocate|access-date=20 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005110915/http://www.hepburnadvocate.com.au/story/1247131/hunt-begins-for-kidnap-kingpin/?cs=5|archive-date=5 October 2015|url-status=live}} A bounty of $100,000 was placed on his head.{{cite news|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/UK-moots-SAS-raid-to-nail-jihad--Prince-/1061937/|title=UK moots SAS raid to nail jihad 'Prince'|newspaper=The Indian Express|date=20 January 2013|access-date=24 January 2013}}

French and Chadian forces killed Abou Zeid in northern Mali on 25 February 2013. His death was confirmed by several sources.{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/02/28/un-chef-d-aqmi-a-ete-tue-par-l-armee-francaise-au-mali_1840892_3212.html|title=Un chef d'AQMI tué par l'armée française au Mali|newspaper=Le Monde|date=28 February 2013|access-date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130133203/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/02/28/un-chef-d-aqmi-a-ete-tue-par-l-armee-francaise-au-mali_1840892_3212.html|archive-date=30 November 2018|url-status=live}}

Belmokhtar claimed responsibility for another terrorist attack on 23 May 2013. In this attack, a French-owned uranium mine in Arlit, Niger, as well as a military base 150 miles away in Agadez, were attacked by suicide bombers with truck bombs. Experts saw no reason to doubt the claim of responsibility. Anouar Boukhars of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace saw the bombing as retaliation for the earlier French intervention in the Northern Mali conflict.

In June 2013, the U.S. government announced a "$5 million reward for information leading to his location".[https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/alive-after-all-u-s-offers-5m-for-mokhtar-belmokhtar/ Alive After All? U.S. Offers $5M for Mokhtar Belmokhtar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611040027/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/06/alive-after-all-u-s-offers-5m-for-mokhtar-belmokhtar/ |date=11 June 2013 }}| abc news|Lee Ferran| 3 June 2013

In August 2013 a communique on the Mauritanian news agency ANI announced the fusion of Belmokhtar's group with MUJAO, another Al Qaida offshoot to form the Al Mourabitoun group.{{cite web|url=http://icct.nl/publication/mokhtar-belmokhtar-a-loose-cannon/|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar: A Loose Cannon?|date=3 December 2013 |access-date=15 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003225334/http://icct.nl/publication/mokhtar-belmokhtar-a-loose-cannon/|archive-date=3 October 2015|url-status=live|last1=Boeke |first1=Sergei }} In May 2015, a portion of the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL);{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-group-n-africa-claims-001449854.html|title=Belmokhtar's jihadist group in N.Africa vows allegiance to IS|work=Yahoo|date=14 May 2015|access-date=15 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518093009/http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-group-n-africa-claims-001449854.html|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=live}} however, Belmokhtar, who had repeatedly pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, issued a statement rejecting this change of allegiance.{{cite news|url=https://news.yahoo.com/sahara-islamist-leader-belmokhtar-dismisses-islamic-state-pledge-170310550.html|title=Sahara Islamist leader Belmokhtar dismisses Islamic State pledge: report|agency=Reuters|work=Yahoo|date=17 May 2015|access-date=19 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521040541/http://news.yahoo.com/sahara-islamist-leader-belmokhtar-dismisses-islamic-state-pledge-170310550.html|archive-date=21 May 2015|url-status=live}}

On 20 November 2015, France named him likely responsible for the 2015 Bamako hotel attack.{{cite news |url=http://dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Nov-20/323978-french-minister-says-algerian-extremist-mokhtar-belmokhtar-likely-behind-mali-attack.ashx |title=French minister says Algerian extremist Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'likely behind' Mali attack |newspaper=The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon |date=20 November 2015 |access-date=28 November 2019 |agency=Agence France-Presse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122015314/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Nov-20/323978-french-minister-says-algerian-extremist-mokhtar-belmokhtar-likely-behind-mali-attack.ashx |archive-date=22 November 2015 |url-status=live }}

On 2 March 2013, Chadian state television and the Chadian Army reported that Belmokhtar had been killed in a raid by Chadian troops against a terrorist base in the Adrar de Ifhogas mountains in north Mali.{{cite news|last=Padire|first=Dany|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar Killed?|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/02/mokhtar-belmokhtar-killed-dead-dies-chad_n_2798138.html|access-date=2 March 2013|newspaper=HuffPost|date=2 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303162455/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/02/mokhtar-belmokhtar-killed-dead-dies-chad_n_2798138.html|archive-date=3 March 2013|url-status=live}} The report was not confirmed by other sources.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21645769 Islamist militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali'Islamist militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010184826/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21645769 |date=10 October 2018 }}, BBC, 2 March 2013 It was refuted by Al Qaeda members on 4 March 2013.{{cite news|title=Al Qaeda confirms Abou Zeid killed in Mali|url=http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66673/al-qaeda-confirms-abou-zeid-killed-in-mali-report|access-date=10 March 2013|newspaper=Inquirer|date=4 March 2013|agency=Agence France-Presse|location=Nouakchott|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214123343/https://globalnation.inquirer.net/66673/al-qaeda-confirms-abou-zeid-killed-in-mali-report|archive-date=14 December 2018|url-status=live}} A spokesman for Belmokhtar's unit also denied he was killed.{{cite news|last=Roggio|first=Bill|title=MUJAO leader says Belmokhtar is alive|url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/mujao_leader_says_be.php|access-date=19 April 2013|newspaper=The Long War Journal|date=2 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405234445/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/mujao_leader_says_be.php|archive-date=5 April 2013|url-status=live}}

On 14 April, Chadian president Idriss Déby Itno restated his previous claim that the army killed Belmokhtar, saying he blew himself up in despair after learning about the death of Abou Zeïd.{{cite news|title=Mokhtar Belmokhtar blew himself up, says Chad president Idriss Deby|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/mokhtar-belmokhtar-blew-himself-up-says-chad-president-idriss-deby/story-e6frg6so-1226620694092|access-date=19 April 2013|newspaper=The Australian|date=15 April 2013|agency=Agence France-Presse|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415152140/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/mokhtar-belmokhtar-blew-himself-up-says-chad-president-idriss-deby/story-e6frg6so-1226620694092|archive-date=15 April 2013|url-status=live}} French officials were not so sure, and were planning to conduct DNA tests.{{cite news|title=Belmoktar blew himself up in despair: Chad|url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/16/world/belmoktar-blew-himself-up-in-despair-chad/|access-date=19 April 2013|newspaper=The Japan Times|date=16 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112091412/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/04/16/world/belmoktar-blew-himself-up-in-despair-chad/#.UXHM7rVSjm4|archive-date=12 January 2014|url-status=live}}

On 23 May 2013, Belmokhtar issued a statement confirming the death of Abou Zeid, contradicting Chadian claims of Belmokhtar's death.{{cite web |author=Roggio |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/05/belmokhtars_unit_par.php |title=Belmokhtar's unit participated in Niger suicide attacks |work=The Long War Journal |date=24 May 2013 |access-date=10 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111001251/http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/05/belmokhtars_unit_par.php |archive-date=11 January 2014 |url-status=live }}

On 14 June 2015, Libya's government announced Belmokhtar was killed in a U.S. airstrike inside Libya. However, there is no known confirmation that Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed.{{Cite web |date=2015-06-15 |title=Fate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike in Libya |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/15/mokhtar-belmokhtar-us-air-strike-libya |access-date=2022-12-01 |website=the Guardian |language=en}} U.S. officials confirmed the strike and that Belmokhtar was a target, but did not immediately confirm that Belmokhtar was killed.{{cite news |last1=Starr |first1=Barbara |first2=Jomana |last2=Karadsheh |title=U.S. airstrike targeted terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar inside Libya, officials say |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/14/africa/us-airstrike-libya-mokhtar-belmokhtar/index.html |access-date=15 June 2015 |date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615000145/http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/14/africa/us-airstrike-libya-mokhtar-belmokhtar/index.html |archive-date=15 June 2015 |url-status=live }} Libya Herald reported that seven leading members of Libya's Ansar Al-Sharia, including Belmokhtar, were killed in the airstrike outside Ajdabiya.{{cite news |title=US Libya airstrike kills seven terror suspects including Algerian AQIM leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar |first=Adam |last=Ali |url=https://www.libyaherald.com/2015/06/14/us-libya-airstrike-kills-seven-terror-suspects-including-algerian-aqim-leader-mokhtar-belmokhtar/ |newspaper=Libya Herald |date=14 June 2015 |access-date=15 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617010155/http://www.libyaherald.com/2015/06/14/us-libya-airstrike-kills-seven-terror-suspects-including-algerian-aqim-leader-mokhtar-belmokhtar/ |archive-date=17 June 2015 |url-status=live }} Ansar al-Sharia named seven people it said were killed in the airstrike, but denied Belmokhtar was among them.{{cite news|title=Libya jihadist group denies death of Qaeda-linked Belmokhtar|url=https://news.yahoo.com/libya-jihadist-group-denies-death-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-063141664.html|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=16 June 2015|access-date=16 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617040349/http://news.yahoo.com/libya-jihadist-group-denies-death-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-063141664.html|archive-date=17 June 2015|url-status=live}}

Belmokhtar was removed from the U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice list in January 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/most-wanted/all-regions.html|title=Rewards for Justice - Wanted for Terrorism|access-date=17 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160218010344/https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/most-wanted/all-regions.html|archive-date=18 February 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/02/17/the-u-s-government-thought-it-had-killed-this-legendary-militant-now-its-not-so-sure/|title=The U.S. still doesn't know if it's killed this legendary one-eyed militant|author=Missy Ryan|date=17 February 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=18 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160217230125/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/02/17/the-u-s-government-thought-it-had-killed-this-legendary-militant-now-its-not-so-sure/|archive-date=17 February 2016|url-status=live}}

Based on intelligence from the United States, in November 2016, Belmokhtar was again targeted in an airstrike conducted by French aircraft in southern Libya.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2016/nov/28/dead-or-alive-mokhtar-belmokhtar-most-wanted-terrorist-killed-three-times |title=Dead or alive? Why the world's most-wanted terrorist has been killed at least three times | World news | the Guardian |website=TheGuardian.com |date=28 November 2016 |access-date=24 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224222338/https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2016/nov/28/dead-or-alive-mokhtar-belmokhtar-most-wanted-terrorist-killed-three-times |archive-date=24 February 2017 |url-status=live }}

In September 2021, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri announced in a book that Belmokhtar had become a "martyr" but did not say when he was killed.{{cite web | url=https://jamestown.org/brief/aymen-al-zawahiri-confirms-death-of-sahelian-jihadist-mastermind-mokhtar-belmokhtar/ | title=Aymen al-Zawahiri Confirms Death of Sahelian Jihadist Mastermind Mokhtar Belmokhtar }}

Mokhtar Belmokhtar was also known by the following names: Abu Khaled, Bal'ur,{{cite web|url=http://studies.aljazeera.net/ResourceGallery/media/Documents/2012/4/30/2012430145241774734Al%20Qaeda%20and%20its%20allies%20in%20the%20Sahel%20and%20the%20Sahara.pdf|title=Al-Qaeda and its allies in the Sahel and the Sahara|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=30 April 2012|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123224739/http://studies.aljazeera.net/ResourceGallery/media/Documents/2012/4/30/2012430145241774734Al%20Qaeda%20and%20its%20allies%20in%20the%20Sahel%20and%20the%20Sahara.pdf|archive-date=23 January 2013|url-status=dead}} al-Aouer,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1jjLvDE5Fy8C&q=Mokhtar+Belmokhtar+emir&pg=PA232|title=The Secret History of Al Qaeda|author=Abdel Bari Atwan|publisher=University of California Press|year=2008|isbn=9780520255616|access-date=19 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626033548/http://books.google.com/books?id=1jjLvDE5Fy8C&pg=PA232&dq=Mokhtar+Belmokhtar+emir&hl=en&sa=X&ei=gA_6UNSgKvHr0QG3moCYDw&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Mokhtar%20Belmokhtar%20emir&f=false|archive-date=26 June 2014|url-status=live}} Khalid Abu al-Abbas, The One-Eyed, The Prince, Laaouar, The Uncatchable, Mr. Marlboro, and MBM. "Abu Khaled" is the nom de guerre used by AQIM. Belmokhtar was nicknamed "one-eyed" in reference to his missing eye and "Mr. Marlboro" due to his running a massive Marlboro cigarette-smuggling operation. Previously, Belmokhtar was also known as the Commander or Emir of the Ninth Region (Algerian Desert).{{cite web|url=http://magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/07/24/feature-01|title=Conference prepares Algerian officials to freeze al-Qaeda assets|publisher=Magharebia|date=24 July 2008|access-date=18 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121101352/http://magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2008/07/24/feature-01|archive-date=21 November 2015|url-status=live}}

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• {{cite journal |first=J. Peter |last=Pham |title=The Dangerous 'Pragmatism' of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |journal=Journal of the Middle East and Africa |volume=2 |issue=1 |year=2011 |pages=15–29 |doi=10.1080/21520844.2011.567445|s2cid=144981227 }}
• {{cite journal |last1=Steinberg |first1=Guido |last2=Werenfels |first2=Isabelle |year=2007 |title=Between the 'Near' and the 'Far' Enemy: Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb |journal=Mediterranean Politics |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=407–413 |doi=10.1080/13629390701622473|s2cid=153848665 }}

{{Al-Qaeda}}

{{Militant Islamism in the Middle East}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belmokhtar, Mokhtar}}

Category:1972 births

Category:2016 deaths

Category:Algerian al-Qaeda members

Category:Algerian kidnappers

Category:21st-century Algerian criminals

Category:Arms traders

Category:Smugglers

Category:Terrorism in Algeria

Category:Islamic terrorism in Algeria

Category:Leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

Category:Leaders of jihadist groups

Category:People sentenced to death in absentia

Category:Salafi jihadists

Category:21st-century Algerian people

Category:People of the Mali War

Category:Deaths by French airstrikes

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Category:People killed in the Libyan civil war (2014–2020)