Operation Serval

Common card · No. 237339

Operation Serval (French: Opération Serval) was a French military operation to oust Islamist militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of the country. Operation Serval followed the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2085 of 20 December 2012 and an official request by the interim Malian government for French military assistance. The operation ended on 15 July 2014, and was replaced by Operation Barkhane, launched on 1 August 2014 to fight Islamist fighters in the Sahel. Three of the five Islamist leaders, Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, Abdel Krim and Omar Ould Hamaha were killed, while Mokhtar Belmokhtar fled to Libya and Iyad ag Ghali fled to Algeria. The operation was named after the serval, a medium-sized African wild cat.

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