PARIS: France said on Saturday that one of the key leaders of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, had been killed in fighting with French-led forces in Mali.

French President Francois Hollande “confirms Abdel-hamid Abou Zeid’s death with certainty during fighting led by the French army in the Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali in late February”, the Elysee palace said in a statement. “The elimination of one of the main leaders of AQIM marks an important stage in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel.”

Abou Zeid’s death was first announced on March 1 by Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno. Two days later, the Chadian army announced it had killed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the other historic leader of Al Qaeda’s north African branch. —AFP