French President Emmanuel Macron said late Wednesday that the French forces have "neutralized" the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, in "a major success" after eight years of fighting terrorism in Africa's Sahel region. He did not provide any details, including where al-Sahrawi was killed or how, though ISIS's Sahara affiliate is active in the border area of Mali and Niger. French Defense Minister Florence Parly tweeted that "this is a decisive blow against this terrorist group."
The death of al-Sahrawi has been rumored for weeks in Mali, though France did not say how it verified his death and there has been no independent confirmation, The Associated Press reports. Al-Sahrawi, a leader in the Malian Islamist group MUJAO, switched allegiance from al Qaeda to ISIS in 2015. He claimed responsibility for a 2017 attack in Niger that killed four U.S. service members and four Niger military personnel, and ISIS-Sahel is believed to still have American Jeffrey Woodke as a hostage.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacksspeed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
-
Russian strike kills dozens in UkraineSpeed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
South Korea court removes impeached presidentSpeed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifiesspeed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clashspeed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rivalSpeed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
