Back مختار بلمختار Arabic Mochtár Belmochtár Czech Mokhtar Belmokhtar German Mojtar Belmojtar Spanish Mokhtar Belmokhtar Estonian مختار بلمختار Persian Mokhtar Belmokhtar Finnish Mokhtar Belmokhtar French מוכתר בלמוכתר HE Mokhtar Belmokhtar Italian

Mokhtar Belmokhtar

Mokhtar Belmokhtar
مختار بلمختار
Mokhtar around 2010
Emir of Al-Mourabitoun
In office
22 August 2013 – November 2016
Preceded byPosition created
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
Born(1972-06-01)1 June 1972
Ghardaia, Algeria
DiedNovember 2016(2016-11-00) (aged 44)
Libya
Military service
Allegiance Al-Qaeda
Branch/service AQC (1991–1993)
GIA (1993–1998)
AQIM (1998–2012)
AML (2012–2013)
AMB (2013–2016)
Years of service1991–2016
RankEmir of Al-Mourabitoun
Brigadier general of AQIM
Battles/wars

Mokhtar Belmokhtar (/ˈmɒktɑːr bɛlˈmɒktɑːr/;[1] Arabic: مختار بلمختار;[2][name 1] 1 June 1972 [3] – November 2016), also known as Khalid Abu al-Abbas, The One-Eyed, Nelson, and The Uncatchable,[4] was an Algerian leader of the group Al-Murabitoun, former military commander of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb, smuggler and weapons dealer.[5] He was twice convicted and sentenced to death in absentia under separate charges in Algerian courts: in 2007 for terrorism and in 2008 for murder. In 2004, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Algeria for terrorist activities.[6][7][8]

Born in northern Algeria, Belmokhtar traveled to Afghanistan in 1991 to fight with the mujahadeen against the pro-Soviet government following the withdrawal of Soviet Union troops. There, he lost his left eye while mishandling explosives. He later joined the Islamist GIA fighting in the Algerian Civil War and following that became a commander in the Mali-based Islamist Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

In December 2012, Belmokhtar announced he was leaving AQIM and headed his own organization, dubbed the Al-Mulathameen ("Masked") Brigade[9] (also known as the al-Mua'qi'oon Biddam ("Those who Sign with Blood" Brigade). In January 2013, the Brigade took more than 800 people hostage at the Tigantourine gas facility in Algeria. 39 hostages were executed and one Algerian killed before the facility was recaptured by Algerian forces, who killed 29 members of the Brigade. The Brigade was listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in December 2013.[10]

On 2 March 2013, the Chadian state television and the Chadian Army reported that Belmokhtar had been killed in a raid by Chadian troops against a terrorist base in Mali.[11][12] However, two months later, Belmokhtar claimed responsibility for two suicide truck bomb attacks – on a French-owned uranium mine in Arlit, Niger, and a military base 150 miles away in Agadez.[13]

On 14 June 2015, Libya's government announced that Belmokhtar was killed in a U.S. airstrike inside Libya. U.S. officials confirmed the airstrike and that Belmokhtar was a target, but were unable to confirm that Belmokhtar was killed. In November 2016, Belmokhtar was targeted again in a French airstrike, conducted by French aircraft in southern Libya, based on intelligence from the United States.[14]

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed years later on their website that Belmokhtar was indeed killed in 2016.[15]

  1. ^ "Global National - Who is Mokhtar Belmokhtar?" Archived 11 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Amends One Entry on Its Sanctions List". United Nations Security Council. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Rewards for Justice - Wanted". Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  4. ^ "In Amenas attack magnifies Belmokhtar, AQIM rift". Magharebia. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. ^ Aronson, Samuel (28 April 2014). "AQIM's Threat to Western Interests in the Africa's Sahel". Combating Terrorism Center Sentinel (CTC), West Point. Archived from the original on 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Profile: Mokhtar Belmokhtar". BBC News. 18 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  7. ^ Algeria: Court Sentences Fugitive Qaeda Leader To Death, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 23 January 2012, Internet article.
  8. ^ Rukmini Callimachi (20 January 2013). "Mokhtar Belmokhtar, Algeria Terror Leader, Kidnaps For Money, Not Just Death". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  9. ^ Algeria terror leader preferred money to death Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine| usatoday.com| 20 January 2013
  10. ^ "Newly Designated African Terror Group Targets Israel And Jews". Access ADL. Anti-Defamation League. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Al-Qaeda commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar 'killed in Mali'". The Telegraph. London. 3 March 2013. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  12. ^ Nossiter, Adam (2 March 2013). "Chad said to have killed mastermind of Algerian attack". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  13. ^ Nossiter, Adam (24 May 2013). "Militant says he is behind attack in Niger". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  14. ^ "U.S.-French Operation Targeted Elusive North African Militant, U.S. Says". Wall Street Journal. 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
  15. ^ "National Counterterrorism Center | FTOs". www.dni.gov. Retrieved 16 August 2023.


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