Al-Qaeda's North Africa Leader killed in Mali

Abdelmalek Droukdel also known as Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, al-Qaeda's North Africa chief, and several of his close collaborators have been killed by French army forces in northern Mali. Florence Parly, French Minister of the Armed Forces, reported the news on Twitter late Friday night.

In a series of tweets, Parly wrote: "On June 3, the French armed forces, with the support of their partners, neutralised the emir al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), Abdelmalek Droukdal and several of his close collaborators, during an operation in northern Mali. Abdelmalek Droukdal, a member of the al-Qaeda steering committee, commanded all Qaeda groups in North Africa and the Sahel strip, including JNIM, one of the main terrorist groups active in the Sahel."