Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi was "neutralised by French forces", President Emmanuel Macron tweeted early Thursday. "This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel," Macron said, without giving the location or details of the operation. The jihadist leader was behind the killing of French aid workers in 2020 and was also wanted by the United States over a deadly 2017 attack on US troops in Niger. Islamic State in the Greater Sahara is blamed for most of the jihadist attacks in the Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso region. The French military has killed several high-ranking members of ISGS under its strategy of targeting jihadist leaders since the start of its military intervention in Mali in 2013.

Source: Bangkok Post September 16, 2021 02:15 UTC