Others had made a "tactical withdrawal to the Adrar des Ifoghas", the mountainous region east of Kidal covering some 250, 000 sq km (96, 525 sq miles), he said.
Chadian officials say that Belmoktar himself is now dead, killed Saturday as French and Chadian special forces penetrated the remote Adrar des Ifoghas mountain range in northeastern Mali.
On Saturday, a French soldier was killed in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains in northern Mali, the third French serviceman to die since the start of military intervention in January.
Tessalit is about 200km (125 miles) north of Kidal and is a gateway to the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains, where rebels are believed to have sought refuge after being forced from the main population centres in the north and east of the country.