British defence sources said the rules of engagement stipulated the NATO troops could only use force in self-defence or if the safety of the soldiers was threatened.

CNN: How arms will be 'harvested'

The president of Chad said Chadian troops killed the commander, while French military sources said earlier that Abou Zeid, a deputy leader of AQIM, was killed in an airstrike in Mali late last month.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Another leading militant, Jamal Nader, of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was shot dead by undercover troops in the city of Tulkarm, Palestinian sources said.

BBC: Palestinians killed in Mid-East violence