Haroun Ag Said

Little is known about Said's early life. Said took part in the Tuareg rebellion of the 1990s, where he was seriously injured in the throat.^[1] Following the peace agreements that concluded the rebellion, he joined the Malian Army.^[1] He served for seven years as a second lieutenant in the Léré garrison and was company commander in Diabaly for a time.^[2][1] During this time, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.^[3]

Said deserted from the army in 2006 to join the May 23, 2006 Democratic Alliance for Change (ADC) and fought under Iyad Ag Ghaly. He disarmed following the Algiers Accords.^[1] In May 2008, he led fifty men in an attack on the garrison in Diabaly, killing one Malian soldier.^[2] He rejoined Iyad Ag Ghaly in Ansar Dine when the Mali War broke out in 2012, and was said to be his right-hand man and a senior figure in the movement.^[3] In January 2013, he commanded jihadist forces at the Battle of Diabaly. While he captured the city, he was forced to flee due to French intervention.^[2]

Said was killed on April 29, 2014, by French special forces in Borisa, Kidal Region. According to MINUSMA, he and two other fighters were killed in a vehicle.^[3] A French army spokesman, without naming Said, stated a militant "died with weapons in his hands", and claimed two other combatants surrendered to French forces.^[1]