Abu Huzeifa, a senior commander in the Islamic State (ISIS) with a $5 million bounty on his head, was recently killed in Mali by a joint military operation involving forces from Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Known for his involvement in multiple high-profile raids in the Sahel region, Huzeifa was connected to a 2017 attack that resulted in the deaths of four US soldiers and various troops from Niger.
The operation leading to his demise took place on Sunday in the town of Indelimane, located in the Menaka region of Northern Mali.
Mali’s state television hailed this development as a significant triumph over malevolence.
The relentless attacks by jihadist fighters have plagued Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, prompting these countries to embrace military cooperation and seek support from countries like Russia while distancing themselves from Western allies, such as the US.
Reportedly a Moroccan national, Huzeifa, also known as “Higgo,” held the position of a commander in ISIS’s self-proclaimed Sahel Province.
The US government had identified Huzeifa, alias Higgo, as a key figure implicated in the 2017 attack on a US Special Forces team in Niger, resulting in casualties that included four American and four Nigerien soldiers.