Okacha, a jihadist veteran known also as Yahya Abou El Hamame, was "the mastermind and financer of several attacks," the defence ministry said. French Defence Minister Florence Parly described his killing as a "spectacular action", saying it followed a manhunt which lasted several years. His death "deals a very hard blow to terrorist groups in the Sahel," Parly said. A total of 11 "terrorists", including El Hamame, were killed, he said. Supported by France, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger have formed the so-called G5 Sahel group to fight the jihadists.

Source: The Local February 23, 2019 08:26 UTC