An Islamic State leader dies in Mali during a confrontation with the Army

One of the key leaders of the extremist group Islamic State (IS) in the Sahel region, known as Abu Houzeifa or Higgo, has been reported dead in clashes with the Malian Army. Local and security sources confirm that Abu Houzeifa was killed during a military operation in the town of Indelimane, located in the northern region of Gao. He was recognized as an influential jihadist figure in the area commonly referred to as the “zone of the three borders” between Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

The sources further revealed that Abu Houzeifa had orchestrated attacks against the local populations of Mali and Niger, including an assault on US special forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, in 2017.

As of now, the Malian Army has not issued any official statement regarding this operation and the reported death of Abu Houzeifa.

Mali remains one of the nations most severely affected by Islamist extremism, as highlighted in the recent report published by the International Observatory for Terrorism Studies (OIET) in 2023. The report reveals that jihadist terrorism resulted in a total of 9,572 casualties through 2,304 attacks carried out by various extremist groups and factions, with nearly half of these incidents occurring in Mali and Burkina Faso.