French President Emmanuel Macron early Thursday said the head of Islamic State , Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui has been “neutralised” by French forces in the Sahel. The information was shared by the french president on Twitter, who said, Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, leader of the Islamic State terrorist group in the Great Sahara, has been neutralised by French forces.

“Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, leader of the Islamic State terrorist group in the Great Sahara, has been neutralised by French forces. This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel,” Macron wrote on Twitter.

For former colonial power France, Adnan Abou Walid Sahraoui was the most wanted jihadist in the Sahel.He headed a branch of the Islamic State group, which is highly active in the border region linking Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Adnan Abou Walid al Sahraoui, chef du groupe terroriste État islamique au Grand Sahara a été neutralisé par les forces françaises. Il s’agit d’un nouveau succès majeur dans le combat que nous menons contre les groupes terroristes au Sahel.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 15, 2021

Sahrawi was the  leader of Islamic State in the Sahel region of West Africa and his group targeted U.S. soldiers in a deadly attack in 2017, Macron’s office said. In August 2020, Sahrawi personally ordered the killing of six French charity workers and their Nigerien driver