Kimberly Dozier and Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast: Exclusive: U.S. Strikes Hit Suspected ISIS-Al Qaeda Gathering
Supposed rival extremists were together when the U.S. tried to take out an infamous jihadi chieftain. So just how much are ISIS and al Qaeda really at odds?
A weekend volley of U.S. airstrikes on a farmhouse in eastern Libya didn’t just target a notorious, one-eyed al Qaeda leader. Mokhtar Belmokhtar—nicknamed “the Uncatchable”—was gathered together with a “Star Wars bar” of al Qaeda and ISIS members, a senior administration official tells The Daily Beast.
“He was meeting with more than 20 locals and core al Qaeda and ISIL members,” the official said, using an alternate acronym for the terror group. “He was apparently trying to bring them together,” to get the disparate militant groups to cooperate, the official added, speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss sensitive operation publicly.
Previous Post: Top Al Qaeda Leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar Reported 'Killed' By A US Air Strike In Libya
More News On The US Air Strike That Targeted Of Al Qaeda Affiliate Leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar
U.S. airstrike targeted terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar inside Libya, officials say -- CNN
US F-15s, guided bombs, drones targeted Belmokhtar -- ZeeNews
Mokhtar Belmokhtar Targeted in Libya, Fate Unclear -- US News and World Report
Mokhtar Belmokhtar: US seeks to confirm Islamist's death -- BBC
Fate of jihadi Mokhtar Belmokhtar unclear after US air strike in Libya -- The Guardian
Questions linger on whether U.S. strike killed veteran Algerian jihadist -- Reuters
Strike targeting Mokhtar Belmokhtar sparked gunfight at nearby hospital -- The Telegraph
Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Al Qaeda figure was a legend among jihadists -- Tim Lister, CNN
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