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French troops have killed the leader of the ISIS-related group ISIS (ISIS-GS) in Greater Sahara, French President Emmanuel Macron announced late Wednesday.
ISIS-GS leader Adnan Abuwarido Arsaharawi was “neutralized by the French army”, Macron Said on twitter, According to the translation. “This is another great success in the fight against the Sahel terrorist group.”
“The country is thinking of all the heroes, bereaved families and injured who died for France in the Sahel in Operation Serval and Barkhane tonight. Their sacrifice is not in vain,” he added. “We will continue this battle with our partners in Africa, Europe and the United States.”
according to Counter radicalism projectAl-Saharawi, an international non-profit organization working to combat the growing threat of terrorism and extremist ideology, has previously been linked to al-Qaeda by the terrorist group Sentinel (“Al-Mourabitoon”). “) Was a self-proclaimed leader. Sahara. In May 2015, he pledged allegiance to ISIS’s Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and split up to form ISIS-GS.
Alsarawee has been designated as a global terrorist by America Four U.S. military personnel and four Niger soldiers were killed after he claimed responsibility for the 2017 terrorist attack in Niger.
His group is also believed to have kidnapped foreigners in the Sahel region of West Africa and detained American Jeffrey Woodke, who was taken from his home in Niger in 2016.
According to Macron’s office, terrorists are also responsible for ordering the killing of six French aid workers and their Niger drivers in August 2020.
French Defense Minister Florence Parli congratulated the military and intelligence agencies for their secret mission.
“This is a decisive blow to this terrorist group. Our fight continues,” he said. I have written, According to the translation of the Twitter post.
The ISIS group has blamed most of the attacks along the Mali-Niger border, but it is unclear where Al Sarawi was killed.
French troops have spent eight years helping local troops fight Islamic terrorists in the Sahel.
Macron announced in June that it would reduce the number of French troops in the Sahel and eventually halve the then 5,100 Operation Barkhane unit.
Macron still has military presence in the Sahel region to help African allies fight ISIS and al-Qaeda-related groups, while France focuses on counter-terrorism operations and strengthening local forces. He said he was about to move on to training.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Mimi Nguyen Ly is an Australian-based reporter. She covers world news with a focus on US news. Contact her at mimi.nl[at]epochtimes.com.
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