President Macron announced in June 2021 an end to the current French deployment in the Sahel region, Operation Barkhane, with a gradual handover to a multilateral mission. In August 2020, al Sahraoui “personally ordered” the killing of six French humanitarian workers and their driver and guide, the statement added.

He was responsible for “cowardly and particularly deadly” attacks targeting civilians and security forces in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, according to a statement from a French presidential spokesperson.

The US State Department designated ISIS-GS as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2018, and announced in 2019 a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of al Sahraoui. In 2017, al Sahraoui claimed responsibility for the ambush of United States forces in Niger that killed four American soldiers. ISIS-GS was established in 2015 after al Sahraoui broke from the al Qaeda-associated al-Murabitun group - another splinter group based in Africa. “This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel,” President Macron tweeted. He had earlier tweeted Thursday that military and intelligence agents had contributed to a “long-term hunt” for the ISIS-GS leader, which she described as a “decisive blow” for the group.

The operation took place between August 17 and 22, 2021, Parly said.

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