Senior Islamic State official in the Great Sahara killed by French special forces
"Ikarey" is said to have died during an ambush aimed at a joint patrol of French and Nigerien soldiers, south-west of Ménaka (illustrative image) Gaëlle Laleix / RFI
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According to our information, Almahmoud ag Baye, alias Ikarey, was neutralized on Tuesday, June 15, to a locality southwest of Ménaka, in northeast Mali.
The French and Nigerien armies carried out several anti-terrorist operations last week in this Malian region bordering Niger.
An offensive which also resulted in the arrest of four other executives of the EIGS.
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It was around 1 p.m., Tuesday, June 15, that EIGS fighters ambushed a joint patrol of French and Nigerien soldiers.
The fighting is violent and according to a Nigerien security source, Ikarey and one of his little brothers by the name of Adoum, are killed there.
According to several sources close to the fighting in the Menaka region, Ikarey's family announced his death on Thursday evening.
Ikarey was a lieutenant of Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
The American intelligence services had identified him as one of the thinking heads of the Tongo Tongo attack, the ambush that
killed three American soldiers in Niger in October 2017
.
For this Ikarey was part of the list of people most wanted in the Sahel by the United States.
His head being priced at $ 5 million.
Contacted by RFI, the French staff declined to comment.
Barkhane has remained discreet about his recent operations in the Menaka region.
However, they resulted in the arrest of several EIGS executives including Abu Darda and Rhissa al-Sahraoui.
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Rhissa al-Sahraoui, a relative of the leader of the EIGS, in the hands of the allied forces
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Terrorism
Sahel
France