French forces killed Adnan Abou Walid al-Sahraoui, a historical figure of jihad in the Sahel, the elimination of which has been described as a "major success" for France by President Emmanuel Macron.

Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces, said Thursday, September 16 during a press conference, that Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui died after having "succumbed to injuries caused by a strike by the Barkhane force in August 2021".

Designated as a "priority enemy" in the Sahel, during the Pau summit in January 2020, he was the head of the branch of the organization Islamic State in the Sahel (EIGS), after having pledged allegiance to the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) in 2015. His death “comes after more than 18 months of constant efforts against this organization which is the emanation of Daesh in the Sahel,” said Florence Parly.

"A veteran of the jihad"

Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui, whose name appears in the Rewards for Justice Program of the United States Department of State, was considered to be the sponsor of most of the regular and bloody attacks targeting the military but also civilians in the tri-border area, on horseback. on Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

"We estimate that the EIGS is responsible for the deaths of 2,000 to 3,000 civilians," said the Minister of the Armed Forces.  

The so-called "three borders" area.

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Identified in Morocco as Lahbib Abdi Said, this Moroccan national was born in the 1970s in Western Sahara. He also campaigned for a time within the Polisario Front, the Saharawi independence movement. "Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui, who has a military profile, is a veteran of the jihad, explains Wassim Nasr, specialist in jihadist movements at France 24. Very discreet, he had a great experience of the guerrillas and the underground which allowed him to enjoy a certain aura and an ascendancy over his men ".  

And to add: "After a passage to the Polisario Front, he had very quickly joined the ranks of the jihadists in the Sahel, first by rallying the Mujao which was part of an alliance with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, before rally the Mourabitoun then led by the famous Mokhtar Belmokhtar, then become its spokesperson ".  

"Authoritarian and autocratic Emir"

This "authoritarian and autocratic emir", in the words of Florence Parly, decides to go it alone from 2015. "He decides during the month of October of that year, taking advantage of his capacity as spokesperson , to pledge allegiance, in the name of the Mourabitoun, to ISIS, indicates Wassim Nasr. A distrust of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is then obliged to deny this allegiance himself ".    

In October 2016, one later, ISIS publicly recognized the allegiance of Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui, who became de facto the leader of his own jihadist group.

"It was then until 2019 that ISIS, which mistrusted him because of its past links with Al-Qaeda, began to claim operations committed by his group, while his most eloquent feat of arms was this time dates back to October 2017, with the attack in which four US Special Forces soldiers and four Nigeriens were ambushed in Tongo Tongo, in southwestern Niger. "

At the end of 2019, the EIGS had carried out a series of large-scale attacks against military bases in Mali and Niger, killing dozens in the ranks of local armies.  

And on August 9, 2020, in Niger, the head of the EIGS had personally, according to Florence Parly, ordered the assassination of six French aid workers and their Nigerien guide and driver.

This attack on young people engaged in humanitarianism had aroused great emotion in France and Niger.

His "neutralization" in the words of the French general staff, is a blow to EIGS and ISIS which has grown in power in the region thanks to Adnan Abou Walid Al-Sahraoui, believes Wassim Nasr .

"This elimination, operated by a drone strike, is part of a series of captures and liquidations of several executives of the EIGS by the French army and its allies in recent months."

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