Hunt for missing soldier after failed hostage rescue
A dramatic attempt to rescue a French secret serviceman held hostage for more three years by Somali militants ended in tragedy and confusion last night.
Helicopter-borne commandoes launched a raid on a hideout in a remote Somali bush village to free the agent from the clutches of al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group.
But in the "intense" firefight that followed, one French soldier was shot dead and a second ended up missing in action, while the hostage himself was also thought to have been killed.
Last night, however, al-Shabaab claimed that it had abducted the soldier from the scene and was now holding him as well as the original hostage, who it said had been held in a different location all along.
The botched mission unfolded as the French military suffered separate casualties in their operation against al Qaeda militants on the side of Africa in Mali, which was launched late on Friday. The pilot of a French helicopter gunship was killed yesterday morning after being apparently shot down while strafing a column of Islamist fighters in the north of the desert state.
While the French government insisted the Somali mission was unconnected to the Mali one, it was widely speculated that the effort to free the hostage was prompted by fears that his captors might kill him in revenge for the operation against their fellow militants in Mali.
Last night, France's Socialist leader, Francois Hollande, was under mounting pressure to explain why the two operations - the first French military action under his presidency - had both ended with casualties and a possible capture. He may now also face the prospect of a prolonged and personalised hostage stand-off involving the commando, potentially a hugely tricky test of his leadership.
Yesterday afternoon, he summonsed his military chiefs, including Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, to an emergency meeting at the Elysée palace to discuss the situation. It came amid fears of reprisals against six other French hostages being held by the group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, one of the main militant factions now operating in Mali.
The kidnapped French secret serviceman, known by the alias Denis Allex, was one of two French security consultants kidnapped from their hotel in Mogadishu in July 2009. They were working on an official contract to train soldiers for Somalia's transitional federal government.
While the other consultant, Marc Abriere, managed to escape a month later, Mr Allex remained in captivity, his gaunt, bearded face appearing in several hostage videos released by his captors.
Yesterday's raid to free him was carried out by France's DGSE secret service, and took place in the small hours of the morning in the remote desert settlement of Bulomarer, 70 miles south of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. In an initial statement, the French ministry of defence defended the raid, which it said met with extreme violence from the kidnappers. "Faced with the intransigence of the terrorists who have refused any negotiations for three and a half years, and who have kept Denis Allex in inhumane conditions, an operation was planned and put into action.
"The commande unit of the DGSE was faced with strong resistance. In the course of the assault, Denis Allex was killed by his captors. In trying to free their compatriot, two soldiers lost their lives and 17 terrorists were also killed."
However, in a news conference later yesterday, Mr Le Drian, the defence minister, said that the exact picture was still unclear, indicating that the raid had ended in chaotic circumstances.
"Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution - everything leads us to believe that Denis Allex was unfortunately killed by his captors," he said.
He added that while one commando had been confirmed as killed, the whereabouts of the second was still unknown. Last night, a statement from al Shabaab said that it captured the missing soldier, who had suffered injuries.
"Several French soldiers were killed in the battle and many more were injured before they fled from the scene of battle, leaving behind some military paraphernalia and even one of their comrades on the ground," said al Shabaab, which claimed Mr Allex had not been in the location the commandoes targeted.
"The injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahedeen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle."
It added: "As a response to this botched rescue operation by the French forces, al-Shabaab assures the French people that it will give its final verdict regarding the fate of Denis Allex within two days."
In a separate threat, another Malian militant group, known as Ansar Dine or Party of the Faithul, said the French military intervention in Mali put other French hostages at risk.
"There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world," said Sanda Ould Boumama, an Ansar Dine spokesman.
"Francois Hollande seems to wish the death of the hostages. He has chosen the war solution so that the hostages will be killed rather than negotiate."
The French operation in Mali came after an appeal for help from Mali's president to rout the Islamist coalition that took over a large swathe of the north of the country last year, imposing a Taliban style rule on floggings and amputations and destroying ancient Islamic shrines on the grounds that they were "idolatrous."
Earlier in the week, Islamist fighters had routed Mali's underequipped and undermanned army from the town of Konna and were threatening to march on Mopti, a major population centre that is still in government control.
Mr Hollande, whose troops arrived in Mali on Friday, said the "terrorist groups, drug traffickers and extremists" in northern Mali showed "a brutality that threatens us all," and vowed that the operation would last "as long as necessary."
Overnight on Friday the French forces launched airstrikes on three rebel targets, including a rebel command center outside Konna that was destroyed. But what should have been a relatively low-risk operation - relying on French airpower rather than boots on the ground - still suffered casualties. Admiral Edouard Guillaud said that during the strikes, a French helicopter had been downed and that the pilot died of his wounds during evacuation. While the details of how the helicopter came down were still unknown last night, questions will no doubt be asked as to how a group of rag-tag Islamists armed mainly with machine guns were able to down an aircraft from one of the world's most sophisticated armies.
A military official in Mali said Islamist militants were driven out of Konna, but that the city captured by the extremists earlier this week was not yet under government control.
"We are doing sweeps of the city to find any hidden Islamist extremist elements," said Lieutenant Diarran Kone. "The full recovery of the city is too early to determine as we do not yet control the city, and we remain vigilant."
Helicopter-borne commandoes launched a raid on a hideout in a remote Somali bush village to free the agent from the clutches of al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group.
But in the "intense" firefight that followed, one French soldier was shot dead and a second ended up missing in action, while the hostage himself was also thought to have been killed.
Last night, however, al-Shabaab claimed that it had abducted the soldier from the scene and was now holding him as well as the original hostage, who it said had been held in a different location all along.
The botched mission unfolded as the French military suffered separate casualties in their operation against al Qaeda militants on the side of Africa in Mali, which was launched late on Friday. The pilot of a French helicopter gunship was killed yesterday morning after being apparently shot down while strafing a column of Islamist fighters in the north of the desert state.
While the French government insisted the Somali mission was unconnected to the Mali one, it was widely speculated that the effort to free the hostage was prompted by fears that his captors might kill him in revenge for the operation against their fellow militants in Mali.
Last night, France's Socialist leader, Francois Hollande, was under mounting pressure to explain why the two operations - the first French military action under his presidency - had both ended with casualties and a possible capture. He may now also face the prospect of a prolonged and personalised hostage stand-off involving the commando, potentially a hugely tricky test of his leadership.
Yesterday afternoon, he summonsed his military chiefs, including Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, to an emergency meeting at the Elysée palace to discuss the situation. It came amid fears of reprisals against six other French hostages being held by the group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, one of the main militant factions now operating in Mali.
The kidnapped French secret serviceman, known by the alias Denis Allex, was one of two French security consultants kidnapped from their hotel in Mogadishu in July 2009. They were working on an official contract to train soldiers for Somalia's transitional federal government.
While the other consultant, Marc Abriere, managed to escape a month later, Mr Allex remained in captivity, his gaunt, bearded face appearing in several hostage videos released by his captors.
Yesterday's raid to free him was carried out by France's DGSE secret service, and took place in the small hours of the morning in the remote desert settlement of Bulomarer, 70 miles south of the Somali capital, Mogadishu. In an initial statement, the French ministry of defence defended the raid, which it said met with extreme violence from the kidnappers. "Faced with the intransigence of the terrorists who have refused any negotiations for three and a half years, and who have kept Denis Allex in inhumane conditions, an operation was planned and put into action.
"The commande unit of the DGSE was faced with strong resistance. In the course of the assault, Denis Allex was killed by his captors. In trying to free their compatriot, two soldiers lost their lives and 17 terrorists were also killed."
However, in a news conference later yesterday, Mr Le Drian, the defence minister, said that the exact picture was still unclear, indicating that the raid had ended in chaotic circumstances.
"Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution - everything leads us to believe that Denis Allex was unfortunately killed by his captors," he said.
He added that while one commando had been confirmed as killed, the whereabouts of the second was still unknown. Last night, a statement from al Shabaab said that it captured the missing soldier, who had suffered injuries.
"Several French soldiers were killed in the battle and many more were injured before they fled from the scene of battle, leaving behind some military paraphernalia and even one of their comrades on the ground," said al Shabaab, which claimed Mr Allex had not been in the location the commandoes targeted.
"The injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahedeen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle."
It added: "As a response to this botched rescue operation by the French forces, al-Shabaab assures the French people that it will give its final verdict regarding the fate of Denis Allex within two days."
In a separate threat, another Malian militant group, known as Ansar Dine or Party of the Faithul, said the French military intervention in Mali put other French hostages at risk.
"There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world," said Sanda Ould Boumama, an Ansar Dine spokesman.
"Francois Hollande seems to wish the death of the hostages. He has chosen the war solution so that the hostages will be killed rather than negotiate."
The French operation in Mali came after an appeal for help from Mali's president to rout the Islamist coalition that took over a large swathe of the north of the country last year, imposing a Taliban style rule on floggings and amputations and destroying ancient Islamic shrines on the grounds that they were "idolatrous."
Earlier in the week, Islamist fighters had routed Mali's underequipped and undermanned army from the town of Konna and were threatening to march on Mopti, a major population centre that is still in government control.
Mr Hollande, whose troops arrived in Mali on Friday, said the "terrorist groups, drug traffickers and extremists" in northern Mali showed "a brutality that threatens us all," and vowed that the operation would last "as long as necessary."
Overnight on Friday the French forces launched airstrikes on three rebel targets, including a rebel command center outside Konna that was destroyed. But what should have been a relatively low-risk operation - relying on French airpower rather than boots on the ground - still suffered casualties. Admiral Edouard Guillaud said that during the strikes, a French helicopter had been downed and that the pilot died of his wounds during evacuation. While the details of how the helicopter came down were still unknown last night, questions will no doubt be asked as to how a group of rag-tag Islamists armed mainly with machine guns were able to down an aircraft from one of the world's most sophisticated armies.
A military official in Mali said Islamist militants were driven out of Konna, but that the city captured by the extremists earlier this week was not yet under government control.
"We are doing sweeps of the city to find any hidden Islamist extremist elements," said Lieutenant Diarran Kone. "The full recovery of the city is too early to determine as we do not yet control the city, and we remain vigilant."
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