On Monday, March 7, 2022, the French military announced that it had neutralized a jihadist leader in Mali. On the night of February 25-26, 2022, the Barkhane force conducted an operation targeting a senior member of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb about 100 km north of Timbuktu. This operation led to the “neutralization” of Yahia Djouadi, alias Abou Ammar al-Jazairi, an Algerian jihadist figure.
The French soldiers did everything in their power to catch him alive, which was their objective, according to the French army, but Yahia Djouadi did not allow himself to be caught. He was therefore “neutralized’’.
According to the French military statement, Yahia Djouadi was located in an area known to be a haven for groups belonging to Aqmi and the Support group for Islam and Muslims. He was eliminated by a ground operation, supported by a helicopter and two French drones, the statement said.
For Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, this is a real setback, because Djouadi, alias Abu Ammar, was a historical figure in the jihadist sphere, a very experienced fighter, a major relay in northern Mali.
Yahia Djouadi joined the Islamist Group for Preaching and Combat as early as 1994 in an Algerian maquis of the armed Islamic group. In 2015, he became Aqmi’s emir in Libya. In 2019, he appears in the Timbuktu region as the financial and logistical coordinator of the terrorist group.
Algerian Yahia Djouadi, historical Aqmi leader, neutralized by the French army
