PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has announced the death of militant Daesh leader in the Greater Sahara, calling Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi’s killing “a major success” for the French military.
Taking to Twitter, the French President said al-Sahrawi “was neutralised by French forces” but gave no further details. It was not announced where al-Sahrawi was killed, though the IS group was active along the border between Mali and Niger.
La Nation pense ce soir à tous ses héros morts pour la France au Sahel dans les opérations Serval et Barkhane, aux familles endeuillées, à tous ses blessés. Leur sacrifice n’est pas vain. Avec nos partenaires africains, européens et américains, nous poursuivrons ce combat.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2021
“The nation is thinking tonight of all its heroes who died for France in the Sahel in the Serval and Barkhane operations, of the bereaved families, of all of its wounded,” Macron tweeted, adding, “Their sacrifice is not in vain.”
Rumours of the militant leader’s death circulated for weeks in Mali, though authorities in the region had not confirmed it. “This is a decisive blow against this terrorist group,” French Defence Minister Florence Parly tweeted. “Our fight continues.”
It is worth mentioning here that Walid founded Deash in the Sahara region in 2015 and the leader was wanted in attacks on US troops and foreign aid workers. The United States also announced a reward worth $5 million for any information leading to the arrest of Adnan Abu Walid in 2017.
Al-Sahrawi had claimed responsibility for a 2017 attack in Niger that killed four US military personnel and four people with Niger’s military. The extremist leader was born in the disputed territory of Western Sahara and later joined the Polisario Front.
After spending time in Algeria, he made his way to northern Mali where he became an important figure in the group known as MUJAO that controlled the major northern town of Gao in 2012.
The Malian group MUJAO was loyal to the regional Al Qaeda affiliate. However, in 2015, al-Sahrawi released an audio message pledging allegiance to the IS group in Iraq and Syria.
News of al-Sahrawi’s death comes as France’s global fight against IS is making headlines in Paris. The key defendant in the 2015 Paris attacks trial said on Wednesday that those coordinated killings were in retaliation for French airstrikes against IS, calling the deaths of 130 innocent people “nothing personal” as he acknowledged his role for the first time.
