<p>Somalia's Shebab Islamists said today they have executed a French agent they have held since 2009, as France said the hostage was likely killed several days ago in a failed rescue attempt.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"16:30 GMT, Wednesday, 16 January, 2013. Denis Allex is executed," the group said on its Twitter feed today, with the report confirmed by a senior Shebab official who said the group might release audio and video of the "execution."<br /><br />"Audio and video are available and will be released any time we decide," he told AFP, saying the hostage, whose name is likely a pseudonym, was killed in Bulomarer, a town south of Mogadishu still under Shebab control.<br /><br />French commandos on Saturday launched a raid on the town to free the hostage, but the bid failed and resulted in the death of two French soldiers.<br /><br />The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab said yesterday they had "reached a unanimous decision to execute" their hostage in order to avenge "the dozens of Muslim civilians senselessly killed by the French forces during the operation."<br /><br />Witnesses said eight civilians died during the raid to free Allex.<br />The group also cited "France's increasing persecution of Muslims around the world, its oppressive anti-Islam policies at home, French military operations in ... Afghanistan and, most recently, in Mali."<br /><br />The French army yesterday accused the Shebab of "manipulating the media" and reaffirmed that Allex was likely already dead.<br /><br />"We suspect, and I believe that we are not wrong to do so, that Somalia's Shebab are manipulating the media," France's Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud said on Europe 1 radio.<br /><br />"We have no element since the raid indicating Denis Allex is alive. We think he is most likely dead," he said.</p>
<p>Somalia's Shebab Islamists said today they have executed a French agent they have held since 2009, as France said the hostage was likely killed several days ago in a failed rescue attempt.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"16:30 GMT, Wednesday, 16 January, 2013. Denis Allex is executed," the group said on its Twitter feed today, with the report confirmed by a senior Shebab official who said the group might release audio and video of the "execution."<br /><br />"Audio and video are available and will be released any time we decide," he told AFP, saying the hostage, whose name is likely a pseudonym, was killed in Bulomarer, a town south of Mogadishu still under Shebab control.<br /><br />French commandos on Saturday launched a raid on the town to free the hostage, but the bid failed and resulted in the death of two French soldiers.<br /><br />The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab said yesterday they had "reached a unanimous decision to execute" their hostage in order to avenge "the dozens of Muslim civilians senselessly killed by the French forces during the operation."<br /><br />Witnesses said eight civilians died during the raid to free Allex.<br />The group also cited "France's increasing persecution of Muslims around the world, its oppressive anti-Islam policies at home, French military operations in ... Afghanistan and, most recently, in Mali."<br /><br />The French army yesterday accused the Shebab of "manipulating the media" and reaffirmed that Allex was likely already dead.<br /><br />"We suspect, and I believe that we are not wrong to do so, that Somalia's Shebab are manipulating the media," France's Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud said on Europe 1 radio.<br /><br />"We have no element since the raid indicating Denis Allex is alive. We think he is most likely dead," he said.</p>