French strike likely killed Al-Qaeda ally Belmokhtar: US

US intelligence helped French warplanes target Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, one of Al-Qaeda's key allies in North Africa, and believes he was killed, an American official said today.

Belmokhtar, a notorious faction commander in the Al-Murabitoun jihadist group, was likely killed in a strike in Libya earlier this month, the official said.