Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb issues ultimatum over hostages

Cairo - In a fresh ultimatum demanding release of four terrorists imprisoned in Mali by March 1, north African wing of the Al Qaeda has offered to free two of the six European hostages in exchange.

The Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has set new deadlines of Feb 20 and March 1 for France and Italy respectively offering to free their nationals it has been holding captive for more than two months to secure the release of its members from Mali jails, according to a statement posted Saturday on SITE, extremists’ websites monitoring group.

The statement came after Mali’s President Amadou Toumani Toure said Thursday that his government was working for peaceful solution of the crisis. Ruling out military operations, the President said efforts were on to secure the release of all the hostages either by paying ransom or by freeing AQIM prisoners (...)