Recent French military operations have killed a number of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb fighters, including Redouan Abou el Achbal a.k.a. Aboubakr Benabdellah, an Algerian who was a top operative in Timbuktu and Kidal; and Mauritanians Oumar Ould Mohamed Ghoulam a.k.a. Al Ghallawi and Mohamedou Khoubeib, who were killed in Timbuktu. A Malian military source said Libyan Islamists have set up two bases in Mali’s northeast. The UN estimates that its peacekeeping mission in Mali will reach 80 percent of its authorized strength this month and full strength by midyear. Only of half of the authorized 12,640 troops and police are currently in place.
