APA – Bamako (Mali) – One of his brothers was the target of a Malian army raid last December.
Following an airborne military operation on Sunday 21 January, the army announced that it had neutralised Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib, a senior member of the Islamic State in the Sahel (EIS). This major operation took place in Inarabane, a town 60 km south-west of Ménaka in north-eastern Mali.
Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib was a key figure in the EIS, responsible in particular for coordinating terrorist activities in the Sahel. He had been wanted by the Malian security forces for several years. He was accused of being one of the main instigators of the massacre of hundreds of civilians in the Ménaka region between 2022 and 2023. A situation that also led to the displacement of thousands of other civilians, even outside Mali.
The site of the operation, Inarabane, is known to be home to active members of Islamic State in the Sahel. Malian forces launched a carefully planned offensive, backed up by precise intelligence about the presence of Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib, who was neutralised along with around ten other associates. The operation also resulted in the destruction of several pieces of military equipment.
Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib’s neutralisation followed that of other members of the group at the end of November 2023. Alwan Ould Choghib is none other than the brother of Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib, who was also neutralised around the same time. Issouf Ould Choghib, alias Aboul Barra, is also from the same family and is considered by several security sources to be the current emir of Islamic State in the Sahel. He succeeded Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui, known as Awas, who was eliminated by French forces during Operation Barkhane in the Gao region in August 2021.
The neutralisation of Abdoul Wahab Ould Choghib could be a major blow to the EIS.
MD/ac/lb/abj/APA