( CNN ) -- Islamist militants had been saving one last blow to deal to France after its military conducted a bloody , unsuccessful hostage rescue attempt in Somalia Friday . Al-Shabaab declared Wednesday that it has killed the hostage . In the war of words , it was important to the militia to announce the killing occurred not during but after the raid -- as retribution for it . Read more : 2 French soldiers likely killed in failed hostage rescue , defense minister says . The French defense ministry has said it believed the militant group killed military agent Denis Allex during Friday 's intense firefight thus thwarting the operation 's objective on the spot . The al Qaeda affiliate claimed soon after the raid that it had moved Allex unharmed to a new location and would decide his fate shortly afterward in light of France 's deadly military operation . Read more : U.S. supported France 's failed hostage rescue in Somalia . Allex was an agent of the DGSE , France 's equivalent of the CIA and a part of its defense ministry . In the long statement on its decision to take his life , al-Shabaab accused the French soldiers of killing Muslims in military operations abroad and mistreating them at home . It mentioned France 's current role in Mali , where 1,700 troops are to join forces with neighboring African countries to rout out an Islamist occupation of the country 's north . All of this in sum warranted Allex ' killing as an act of vengeance , al-Shabaab said . Read more : French bid to rescue hostage in Somalia fails , leading to soldier 's death . At least 17 al-Shabaab fighters and two French soldiers died in Friday 's mission in the village of Bulo-Marer , about 75 miles ( 120 kilometers ) northwest of Mogadishu . The French defense ministry originally reported one of the two soldiers as missing , but al-Shabaab later posted a photo of his purported corpse to its Twitter feed , saying he had died of wounds suffered during the heated battle that ensued during Friday 's operation . Allex was abducted on July 14 , 2009 , while on a mission in Mogadishu in support of the transitional Somali government , the French Defense Ministry said . French media reports suggest that Denis Allex is a pseudonym for the military serviceman . French officials said they launched the rescue attempt after the terror group failed to negotiate for the hostage 's release for years while holding him in inhumane conditions . On Monday , French Defense Dinister Jean-Yves le Drian said the failure of the rescue mission was `` extremely regrettable . '' CNN 's Saad Abedine contributed to this report .
Somali Islamists claim the killing was revenge for a French military raid Friday . The French government believes the hostage died during its rescue attempt . TL;DR The Islamists accused France of killing Muslims around the world .