Macro: France has killed I commander SIS in the Sahara

Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraqi formed the so-called Islamic States in the Sahara in 2015. This group has been blamed for most attacks in the region, including the murder of several French aid workers last year.

Macron said Sahraw's death is another key success in fighting terrorist groups in the Sahelx1> region, the BBC writes.

However, he did not reveal the location of the commander's murder or any other details of the operation.

French Defence Minister Florence Parly wrote that Sahrawi died after an attack by French forces fighting Islamic militants in the Sahel region, mainly in Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso.

The French presidency said Sahrawi had personally ordered the killing of six French humanitarian workers, their guides and drivers from Nigeria.