France calls killing of Islamic State leader big victory

PARIS – France killed the person of Islamic State successful the Greater Sahara due to the fact that the radical attacked French assistance workers, African civilians and U.S. troops, French officials said Thursday, calling him “enemy No. 1” successful protracted anti-terrorism efforts successful the Sahel.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the decease of Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi overnight. According to Macron's office, al-Sahrawi personally ordered the sidesplitting of six French assistance workers and their Nigerien colleagues past year, and his radical was down a 2017 onslaught that killed U.S. and Niger subject personnel.

He was killed successful a onslaught by France’s Barkhane subject cognition “a fewer weeks ago,” but authorities waited to beryllium definite of his individuality earlier making the announcement, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told RFI vigor Thursday.

She did not disclose details of the cognition oregon wherever al-Sahrawi was killed, though the Islamic State radical is progressive on the borderline betwixt Mali and Niger.

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“He was astatine the root of massacres and terror,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Thursday connected France-Info radio. He urged African governments to capable the void and prehend backmost crushed taken by the Islamic State extremists.

Rumors of the militant leader’s decease had circulated for weeks successful Mali, though authorities successful the portion had not confirmed it. It was not instantly imaginable to independently verify the assertion oregon to cognize however the remains had been identified.

Al-Sahrawi had claimed work for a 2017 onslaught successful Niger that killed 4 U.S. subject unit and 4 radical with Niger’s military. His radical besides has abducted foreigners successful the Sahel and is believed to inactive beryllium holding American Jeffrey Woodke, who was abducted from his location successful Niger successful 2016.

The extremist person was calved successful the disputed territory of Western Sahara and aboriginal joined the Polisario Front. After spending clip successful Algeria, helium made his mode to bluish Mali wherever helium became an important fig successful the radical known arsenic MUJAO that controlled the large bluish municipality of Gao successful 2012.

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A French-led subject cognition the pursuing twelvemonth ousted Islamic extremists from powerfulness successful Gao and different bluish cities, though those elements aboriginal regrouped and again carried retired attacks.

The Malian radical MUJAO was loyal to the determination al-Qaida affiliate. But successful 2015, al-Sahrawi released an audio connection pledging allegiance to the Islamic State radical successful Iraq and Syria.

France, the region's erstwhile assemblage power, precocious announced that it would beryllium reducing its subject beingness successful the region, with plans to retreat 2,000 troops by aboriginal adjacent year.

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