Al-Qaeda claims killing of 2 French journalists in Mali
An AQIM statement said the killings on Saturday were in response to France's "new crusade", Sahara Media reports. AQIM said their killing was intended to avenge "crimes" committed by French and African troops against the people of northern Mali, Sahara Media, a news agency based in Mauritania, reported on its Arab-language website.
"The
organisation
considers
that
this
is
the
least
price
that
President
Francois
Hollande
and
his
people
will
pay
for
their
new
crusade,"
AQIM's
statement
said.
French
troops
drove
Islamist
groups
out
of
northern
Mali's
main
towns
after
launching
an
offensive
in
January.
France
described
the
killing
of
Ghislaine
Dupont
and
Claude
Verlon
as
a
"calculated
assassination".
Ms
Dupont,
57,
and
Mr
Verlon,
58,
worked
for
Radio
France
International
(RFI).
They were kidnapped and shot dead on Saturday after interviewing a local leader in the northern town of Kidal.
They were grabbed by four armed men in a four-wheel-drive vehicle at around 1 p.m. on Saturday. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found 12 kilometers (7 miles) outside the city, a few yards from the kidnappers' vehicle, whose steering wheel appeared to be broken, according to a senior Malian intelligence official who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter.
The Sahara website identifies the al Qaeda leader who carried out the killings as Abdelkarim al-Targui, one of the few Malian nationals who has risen to prominence inside the al Qaeda branch, led almost exclusively by Algerian jihadists, reports Associated Press
Targui is a native of the Kidal region and is believed to be responsible for the previous kidnappings of two French nationals, Philippe Verdon and Serge Lazarevic, who were grabbed from the town of Hombori in northern Mali in 2011. Lazarevic remains in captivity. Verdon was executed earlier this year.
There
are
200
French
troops
and
200
African
peacekeepers
as
well
as
a
Malian
army
base
in
Kidal.
The
bodies
of
the
journalists
have
been
repatriated
to
France.
France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said operations are ongoing to find their attackers.
On
Monday,
Malian
police
officials
said
a
number
of
suspects
had
been
arrested
in
connection
with
the
murders.
The
French
government
could
not
confirm
than
anyone
had
been
detained.
OneIndia News
(With agency inputs)