Malian troops kill IS commander blamed for US deaths

Mali’ s state television says a senior Islamic State commander who had a $5m (£4m) US bounty on his head has been killed by a force including troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Abu Huzeifa had been linked to several high-profile raids in the Sahel region.

This included a 2017 attack which killed four American soldiers and several troops from Niger.

Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have all suffered from relentless attacks by jihadist fighters.

All three countries are under military rule and have been developing close links with Russia while cutting ties with Western allies including the US.

They have been welcoming Russian military help while forcing troops from other countries to leave.

Abu Huzeifa, who was also known as Higgo, was described by the report on Mali’s state TV as a Moroccan national and a commander in IS’s self-styled Sahel Province.

It said he was killed on Sunday in an operation in the Northern town of Indelimane in the Menaka region, describing it as “a victory against a bane of evil”.

The US government said Hufeiza was wanted in connection to an attack on a US Special Forces team in Niger in 2017 which led to the deaths of four American and four Nigerien soldiers.