US to put Belmokhtar on secret 'kill' list

US military officials want to put the name of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, leader of Algerian terror organisation Masked Battalion, on a secret "kill" list. According to the Wall Street Journal, head of the organisation which split from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM), is a "key target" after he claimed responsibility for the recent attack on an Algerian gas facility in Tiguentourine. According to Wall Street Journal, American officials feel that adding Belmokhtar to the list would lead to an expansion of US military operations to North West Africa, and increased American drone aircraft attacks. Sources said that special military units and CIA would conduct new operations. An American official revealed that the country intends to establish an air base for drone aircraft in North West Africa, to improve monitoring of Islamic groups in the region. He added that the base would be established in Niger or Burkina Faso. Belmokhtar is see by many as the mastermind of terror operations in the Saharan region. He established the Masked Battalion twenty years ago after splitting away from AQIM. He recently established the Signed-in-Blood Battalion which reportedly includes terrorists several Arab countries.