Failed hostage rescue in Bulo Marer
The failed hostage rescue in Bulo Marer on January 11, 2013 was an attempt by an elite unit of the French military to free the secret agent "Denis Allex" in Bulo Marer ( Somalia ), who was held captive by the Somali al-Shabaab militia . The operation failed and "Denis Allex" was probably killed as a result.
Background of the hostage situation
Denis Allex (pseudonym) was a member of the French intelligence service Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE), who trained soldiers of the Somali interim government in Mogadishu in 2009 together with his colleague Marc Aubrière (pseudonym) . Both were kidnapped and abducted from their hotel in Mogadishu on July 14, 2009 by criminals. During the removal, both agents fell into the hands of the Islamist Hizbul Islam . This decided to separate the hostages and hand over Denis Allex to the allied al-Shabaab militia. Marc Aubrière managed to escape a few weeks after being taken hostage. Despite diplomatic efforts by the French government to end Denis Allex 'hostage, he remained in captivity by Islamist extremists until early 2013.
Hostage rescue operation
After an intensive intelligence search, the French authorities succeeded in locating the hostage's whereabouts near the Somali town of Bulo Marer. To this end, a sophisticated informant system was set up on site to monitor and analyze the house in question. The homestead was then reconstructed true to the original in France in order to practice a possible hostage rescue.
In preparation for the company, the French helicopter carrier Mistral was stationed off the coast of Somalia. A unit of French elite soldiers was supposed to land near the village of Bulo Marer with Eurocopter EC 725 transport helicopters under the protection of Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters and American fighter planes and then carry out the hostage rescue.
course
The operation began on January 11, 2013 at around 2 a.m. A task force of 50 soldiers took off from the Mistral with five helicopters into the operational area. The unit landed about ten kilometers from the scene and then moved on foot to the homestead where Denis Allex was suspected. Shortly before the access, the unit was discovered by an armed man who was accidentally awakened from sleep by a French soldier. Before he was shot, he managed to alert the rest of the guards. An hour-long firefight then broke out, killing two commandos and several al-Shabaab militiamen. Denis Allex was abducted again by his guards during the battle and then presumably executed. The unit managed to leave the place and was flown out by the helicopters. However, the body of a member of the commando had to be left behind on site.
Effects
The Somali interim government condemned the operation on January 13, 2013 for being carried out without their approval.
On January 14, 2013, the al-Shabaab militia published three photos on their Twitter account of a killed, fair-skinned military man surrounded by equipment and weapons with the question: "Was it worth it, Mr. Hollande?" It can be assumed that the dead person is the commando soldier who was left behind in Bulo Marer.
US President Barack Obama informed Congress on January 14, 2013 that American fighter jets were deployed in Somali airspace on January 11, 2013, but had not intervened in the hostage rescue operation.
On January 16, 2013, French President François Hollande confirmed the death of agent Denis Allex. One day later, the al-Shabaab militia announced again on Twitter that Denis Allex had been executed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kidnappers send France 'proof of life' from spy hostage. France 24 , December 28, 2010, accessed January 25, 2014 .
- ↑ French agent Marc Aubriere's amazing escape barefoot through Mogadishu. The Australian , August 31, 2009, accessed January 25, 2014 .
- ^ Otages. Denis Alex. The operation de la dernière chance qui a échoué d'un rien. July 14, 2013, accessed January 25, 2014 .
- ^ Somali government regrets civilian deaths in botched French operation. Sabahionline.com, January 14, 2013, accessed January 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Al Shabaab tweets photos of Slain French soldier. France 24, January 14, 2013, accessed January 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Denis Allex Dead: Somali Al-Shabab Militants Say They Killed French Hostage. (No longer available online.) The Huffington Post , Jan 17, 2013, archived from the original on Jan 16, 2014 ; Retrieved January 25, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
