[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022\/extremists\/mokhtar-belmokhtar\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMokhtar Belmokhtar\u003C\/a\u003E is repeatedly referred to in the media as one of Africa\u2019s \u201cbest known jihadists.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EReuters, \u201cSahara Islamist Leader Belmokhtar Dismisses Islamic State Pledge: Report,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, May 17, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/05\/17\/world\/africa\/17reuters-sahara-militants.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/05\/17\/world\/africa\/17reuters-sahara-militants.html\u003C\/a\u003E; Jared Malsin, \u201cJihadist Believed Killed By U.S. Air Strike Had Been Eclipsed by ISIS,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ETime\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E In January 2013, less than two years after the death of Osama bin Laden, Reuters\u2019 Myra MacDonald wrote that al-Mourabitoun co-founder Mokhtar Belmokhtar had \u201cburnished his jihadi credentials by showing that al Qaeda remains a potent threat to Western interests despite\u201d bin Laden\u2019s death.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMyra MacDonald, \u201cBelmokhtar burnishes jihadi credentials with Algeria attack,\u201d Reuters, January 17, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Libyan government reported Belmokhtar had been killed in a June 14, 2015, U.S. airstrike in the country.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EEric Schmitt, \u201cU.S. Airstrike in Libya Targets Planner of 2013 Algeria Attack,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 14, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u003C\/a\u003E; Reuters, \u201cU.S. Confirms Militant Belmokhtar Was Target of Libya Air Strike,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u003C\/a\u003E; Reuters, \u201cLibya Says \u0027Uncatchable\u0027 Veteran Militant Killed in U.S. Strike,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-usa-libya.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-usa-libya.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E U.S. media reported the claims with the caveat that U.S. officials had not yet confirmed Belmokhtar\u2019s death.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EReuters, \u201cU.S. Confirms Militant Belmokhtar Was Target of Libya Air Strike,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u003C\/a\u003E; Eric Schmitt, \u201cU.S. Airstrike in Libya Targets Planner of 2013 Algeria Attack,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 14, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Media reports keyed in on Belmokhtar\u2019s connection to the 2013 Algeria attack that killed over 20 people.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EReuters, \u201cU.S. Confirms Militant Belmokhtar Was Target of Libya Air Strike,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/africa\/15reuters-libya-usa-target.html?_r=0\u003C\/a\u003E; Eric Schmitt, \u201cU.S. Airstrike in Libya Targets Planner of 2013 Algeria Attack,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, June 14, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/06\/15\/world\/middleeast\/us-airstrike-targets-qaeda-operative-in-libya.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/span\u003E Al-Mourabitoun later denied Belmokhtar had been killed and declared him its official leader in July 2015.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EThomas Joscelyn, \u201cMokhtar Belmokhtar now leads \u2018Al Qaeda in West Africa,\u201d Long War Journal, August 13, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2015\/08\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-now-leads-al-qaeda-in-west-africa.php\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2015\/08\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-now-leads-al-qaeda-in-west-africa.php\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESean Naylor called Belmokhtar\u2019s suspected death a \u201cpotentially significant U.S. counterterrorism win.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ESean D. Naylor, \u201cWill the U.S. Go After Mokhtar Belmokhtar\u2019s Network?\u201d \u003Cem\u003EForeign Policy\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/06\/15\/militants-death-would-present-united-states-with-a-dilemma\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/06\/15\/militants-death-would-present-united-states-with-a-dilemma\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E He argued in a June 15, 2015, \u003Cem\u003EForeign Policy\u003C\/em\u003E piece that Belmokhtar\u2019s reported death offered the United States an opportunity to target al-Mourabitoun before it regroups from the loss.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ESean D. Naylor, \u201cWill the U.S. Go After Mokhtar Belmokhtar\u2019s Network?\u201d \u003Cem\u003EForeign Policy\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/06\/15\/militants-death-would-present-united-states-with-a-dilemma\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/06\/15\/militants-death-would-present-united-states-with-a-dilemma\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Al-Mourabitoun\u2019s alleged pledge of allegiance to ISIS in May 2015\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAgence France-Presse, \u201cBelmokhtar\u0027s jihadist group in N.Africa vows allegiance to IS,\u201d Yahoo News, May 14, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/al-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-group-n-africa-claims-001449854.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/al-qaeda-linked-belmokhtar-group-n-africa-claims-001449854.html\u003C\/a\u003E; Reuters, \u201cSahara Islamist Leader Belmokhtar Dismisses Islamic State Pledge: Report,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, May 17, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/05\/17\/world\/africa\/17reuters-sahara-militants.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/reuters\/2015\/05\/17\/world\/africa\/17reuters-sahara-militants.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E and Belmokhtar\u2019s reported death a month later drew media speculation that ISIS had \u201ceclipsed\u201d al-Mourabitoun\u2019s infamous co-founder.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJared Malsin, \u201cJihadist Believed Killed By U.S. Air Strike Had Been Eclipsed by ISIS,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ETime\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E \u003Cem\u003ETime\u003C\/em\u003E\u2019s Jared Malsin wrote in June 2015 that \u201cISIS and other groups have come to eclipse Belmokhtar and those loyal to him\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EJared Malsin, \u201cJihadist Believed Killed By U.S. Air Strike Had Been Eclipsed by ISIS,\u201d \u003Cem\u003ETime\u003C\/em\u003E, June 15, 2015, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/time.com\/3921560\/mokhtar-belmokhtar-isis\/\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe June 2015 strike was not the first time Belmokhtar has been presumed killed. Chadian forces claimed to have killed him in Mali on March 3, 2013.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMyra MacDonald, \u201cBelmokhtar burnishes jihadi credentials with Algeria attack,\u201d Reuters, January 17, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E At the time, Western media eulogized Belmokhtar as a key leader in the global jihadist movement, without whom the movement could collapse. In an analysis piece for Reuters, Myra MacDonald wrote Belmokhtar\u2019s death \u201cwould be a serious blow to al Qaeda\u0027s efforts to recover its cohesion as a force for global jihad.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMyra MacDonald, \u201cBelmokhtar burnishes jihadi credentials with Algeria attack,\u201d Reuters, January 17, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Belmokhtar, she wrote, \u201cproved al Qaeda remained a potent threat to Western interests.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EMyra MacDonald, \u201cBelmokhtar burnishes jihadi credentials with Algeria attack,\u201d Reuters, January 17, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/01\/17\/sahara-crisis-belmokhtar-idUSL6N0AMCX620130117\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Mokhtar Belmokhtar"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]