美军空袭击毙前基地组织头目

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　　Libya's internationally recognized government says the airstrike killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar Saturday in the eastern part of the country.

　　But the Pentagon cannot yet confirm if Belmokhtar is dead. Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren gave no other details on the operation other than to say military officials believe the airstrike was successful. He did not say where the strike took place and if an unmanned drone firing a missile was used.

　　US Airstrike Targets Top Al-Qaida Terrorist in Libya

　　The U.S. State Department had posted a $5 million reward for Belmokhtar, leader of a group calling itself the Signed in Blood Battalion¹.

　　U.S. officials accuse him of leading the 2013 terrorist attack on a gas facility in Algeria that killed 37 people, including three Americans.

　　The political chaos² in Libya - where Islamic militants³ and an internationally recognized parliament have set up two separate governments - has allowed al-Qaida to grab territory.

　　Libya has descended⁴ into chaos since a NATO-backed revolt unseated longtime authoritarian⁵ leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Jihadist groups have exploited the lawlessness, which also has prompted a huge influx⁶ of migrants trying to make the dangerous crossing to Europe, with shipwrecks⁷ leaving hundreds dead and the EU straining to respond.

　　Washington has deployed⁸ drones to strike targets in the region before.

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