The U.S. launched a counterterrorism airstrike in Libya Sunday, targeting and reportedly killing a former al Qaeda leader.
According to the internationally recognized Libyan government, Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed in the airstrike.
"The Libyan government announces that American planes undertook action that resulted in the death of the wanted terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar and a number of Libyans belonging to one of the terrorist groups in Eastern Libya, after consultation with the Libyan interim government to take action on terrorist leadership present on Libyan soil," it said in a statement, according to The New York Times.
The U.S. confirmed the airstrike, saying two F-15 fighter jets were deployed. The jets launched 500-pound bombs with the goal of targeting Belmokhtar, according to MSN.
"It was a single strike conducted by a manned aircraft," a Pentagon official said. The official said that the attack happened at 2 a.m. Sunday and that there were no U.S. personnel on the ground, according to CNN.
"I can confirm that the target of last night's counterterrorism strike in Libya was Mokhtar Belmokhtar," Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve Warren said. "Belmokhtar ... is the operational leader of the Al Qaeda-associated Al Mourabitoun organization in northwest Africa and maintains his personal allegiance to Al Qaeda," Warren added, according to The New York Times.
However, U.S. officials have not confirmed the death of Belmokhtar and said that they are still assessing the outcome of the airstrike, although the Pentagon is confident that the counterterrorism attack has accomplished its mission. At this time, neither Libya nor the U.S. holds any evidence of Belmokhtar's death. The confirmation likely warrants a DNA test, unless the terrorist's group announces a time of mourning for the former leader.
According to an Islamist who is linked with Libyan militants, the U.S. airstrikes missed Belmokthar but instead killed four Libyan extremists associated with the 2012 U.S. Consulate attack in Benghazi. The Benghzai attack, which was carried out on Sept. 11, 2012, killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, The New York Times reports.
Belmokhtar used to be an Al Qaeda leader in the Islamic Maghreb, but he left the group in 2012 and formed his own group called Those Who Sign With Blood. His group later became known as Al Mourabitoun.
Belmokhtar is responsible for the 2013 siege of a natural gas complex in Algeria. He claimed that it was a retaliation against Algeria for letting France use its airspace in fighting against Islamist militants. The attack killed 35 hostages, including three Americans, prompting the U.S. to charge him with terrorism and other related offenses. The U.S. also offered a $5 million reward for information on his whereabouts, according to Al Jazeera.
