French Troops in Mali Kill Top Commander of al Qaeda-Linked Group

French troops fighting Islamist militants in Mali have killed a one of the Sahel region’s leading jihadists, France’s defence minister said on Friday.

Yahia Abou Hamman was the number two in command of Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked insurgents in West Africa’s Sahara. The group claimed responsibility for a spate of attacks to disrupt Mali’s election last July, and more recent strikes in Burkina Faso.

“The removal of a prominent leader helps to dismantle the networks and disrupt terrorist activities in the region,” Defence Minister Florence Parly said in a statement.

Read more at AfricaNews

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