The General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces announced on Saturday the killing of a prominent foreign leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), during a military operation conducted in the Chimame area, approximately 40 kilometers north of Ménaka in western Mali.
According to the official statement, the operation was carried out “based on reliable intelligence” and resulted in “the seizure of weapons and the injury of several fighters from the armed group.”
Although the army did not disclose the identity of the slain leader, Moussa Ag Chaghtaman, Secretary General of the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad and a member of Mali’s Transitional National Council, announced on platform X that the individual was known as “Abu Darda”, describing him as “a group ideologue and an expert in improvised explosive devices.”
He also stated that Abu Darda was behind “several attacks”, including the Banibangou attack in Niger.
The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara remains active in the border triangle region between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
