Wüstenschiff

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, an Algerian founding member of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), is believed to have been killed in clashes between Islamist militants and Tuareg-led separatist rebels in north Mali, Algeria's Ennahar TV reported on Thursday. One Algerian security source told Reuters he was trying to confirm the death of Belmokhtar, who headed one of AQIM's two battalions in Algeria's southern desert bordering Mali. But Ennahar TV, a private Algerian channel known for its reliable reporting on security affairs, quoted several unknown sources as confirming Belmokhtar's death.

Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a founder of al Qaeda's North African offshoot, is alive and leading military operations, an associate said on Tuesday, denying a report that the Algerian had been killed in clashes in Mali in late June. Nicknamed the "uncatchable", Belmokhtar is believed to be linked to the kidnappings of foreigners that have taken place in remote areas of Africa's Sahel region in recent years.