French Forces Kill Leader of ISIS in Africa's Sahel, Reports

The leader of ISIS in the Sahel region, Abdul Hakim Al-Sahrawi, was reportedly killed by the French forces within the framework of "Barkhane" operation.

Reports said that Al-Sahrawi was killed on August 17th when the French forces launched a drone attack on his convoy in the Minga region, near the border between Mali and Niger.

According to reports, the killing of Al-Sahrawi was apparently linked to the killing of French citizens in Niger.

Earlier this month, the extremist ISIS militias have targeted 6 French people working with an aid organization, along with a Nigerian tourist guide and driver.

If the news is confirmed, the killing of Al-Sahrawi will be a painful French response to the targeting of French citizens, and a painful blow to the terrorist organization ISIS in the Sahel region.

Al-Sahrawi had appeared in a video in which he was slaughtering the former mayor of the Agora region in 2019, similar to the slaughter operations carried out by the organization in both Syria and Iraq.

Al-Sahrawi also led unprecedented violent confrontations between ISIS and al-Qaeda in Mali, which left many dead.

The Operation Barkhane, France’s military effort in the Sahel region, encompasses Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, and which began on August 1, 2014.