An alliance of terrorist groups loyal to Al-Qaeda and led by Malian Jihadist Iyad Ag Ghali claimed responsibility for the simultaneous attacks on the military headquarters of Burkina Faso and the French Embassy in Ouagadougou. The group said that the attack is a retaliation against France, which has launched an operation against terrorists in northern Mali. Eight armed forces personnel were killed in the terrorist attack, while a French security source said 12 more were seriously injured. The four terrorist groups were brought together under the command of Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of Ansar Eddine terrorist group based in Mali. The merging groups are: Ansar Eddine, Al Mourabitoune- led by Algerian notorious terrorist Moukhtar BelMokhtar-, the Macina brigade, and AlQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) led by another Algerian Abdelmalek Droudkel.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 04, 2018 23:26 UTC