Terrorism: French forces eliminate Blaouar's right hand man in Timbuktu
Algeria strengthened, over the past few days, its presence on the southern border, amid concern about the growing number of al-Qaida terrorists and Tuareg insurgents, who have imposed their control over Malian Azawad region, and in the eastern side, fearing of using the Algerian territory as a crossing area for armed groups toward Libya, especially after Algeria’s position which rejects the military intervention in Libya.
A security source told Echorouk that military reinforcements are reinforced in various military regions toward Tinezouatine area and Bordj Badji Mokhtar, which noticed a few the days ago the presence of more than 4,500 soldiers on the border regions with Mali, after the battles that are raging between the French and Malian troops against Islamic groups increased, and Timbuktu is used as a site to launch attacks.
Same source also confirmed that the eastern border regions with Libya are tightened with more than 2,500 military reserve soldiers, especially as the Algerian forces also mobilized its air defense in case of any foreign interference.
Informed sources, told Echorouk, that private surveillance cameras were placed for the first time through the air jets that will monitor the eastern border regions from the air for about 12 hours almost without stopping.
Other sources asserted that the French forces in coordination with the Malian armed troops tightened the noose on Islamist groups, as they were pursued by the same forces in the border areas of Algeria, specifically in Timbuktu region, which only 350 kilometers far from north of Bordj Badji Mokhtar, in an attempt to eliminate the position that was taken by the Islamist groups as a location for terrorist attacks on government sites in Mali.
Same source added that the French troops eliminated the first right man of Belmokhtar, alias Houcine Ould Khalil, who is a Mauritanian, belonging to the battalion of “Al Mouakioun Biddam” (signatories with blood), that is active in the region of Timbuktu.