French Air Strike Kills Influential al-Qaeda Commander in Mali

In a major victory for coalition forces in Mali, a French airstrike late last month successfully targeted and killed Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, deputy leader within the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb terror group, a U.S. official confirmed today.

Abou Zeid, who fought in the 1990's Algerian insurgency and was known for extreme brutality - recently capturing several French citizens and holding them ransom - was a critical commander for Mali's Islamist forces, and along with a significant number of his men, were killed during an French aerial bombardment.

The bombardment, which took place in Aguelhok near the Algerian border, has seen over one hundred French sorties in recent days monitor and target the Malian insurgency, which riding on the coattails of Tuareg rebels were able to takeover all of Northern Mali and impose a very strict, brutal Sharia upon a oppressed citizenry until the French intervened in January, and with the help of African allies, have been successful in driving them deep into the Sahara and neighboring mountains.

When you combine the last few stories that have come out of Mali, the news is very good for coalition forces: Islamists have been driven out of the vital cities of Gao and Timbuktu, Chadian forces killed 100 Islamists in a very bloody battle at the Ifoghas Mountains and now a major commander in al-Qaeda has been neutralized by the French Air Force.

While far from over, the fight for Mali is definitely heading in the right direction for coalition forces and I might have high hopes, but with the insurgents trapped in one region that both the Chadian and French forces have successfully attacked in recent days, perhaps this conflict is now a matter of hunting the cowards rather than actually fighting.

Guess we'll find out.

What say you?