European Union Special Representative for the Sahel, Emanuela Del Re on Thursday praised France for killing Islamic State in the Greater Sahara terror group leader Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi in a drone strike.
"I want to congratulate French forces for neutralising Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, head of the ISGS terror group," read the twee.
"The fight against terrorism is a key pillar of our efforts for peace, stability and development in the Sahel," added the tweet, referring to the strip of Africa below the Sahara running from east to west.
French armed forces minister Florence Parly said that al-Sahrawi was killed in Mali after being struck by a drone while he was riding a bike in the second half of August, without giving a precise date.
The US had offered a reward of up to 5 million dollars for information leading to Sahrawi's location.
Sahrawi claimed to be behind terror attacks in the region including one in 2017 in Niger that killed four US military members and four Niger service personnel. France also accused Sahrawi of ordering the execution of six French charity workers and their Nigerien driver in 2020.
