French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly announced on Friday that the country's forces have killed Bah ag Moussa, a military leader of Al Qaeda's North Africa wing, in Mali.
"This is a major success in the fight against terrorism that France is leading with its partners in the Sahel," Xinhua news agency quoted Party as saying.
"A historic figure of the jihadi movement in the Sahel, Bah ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces," she added in a statement.
Moussa, a military leader of the Rally for the Victory of Islam and Muslims, an Al Qaeda wing operating in the Sahel region, was killed on Tuesday during an operation involving significant intelligence resources, ground troops and helicopters, according to the Defence Ministry.
France has led a special military operation to curb insurgency in the Sahel region since 2014.
