A joint force including troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have killed Abu Huzeifa, a senior Islamic State, ISIS, commander.

Before his death, a $5 million bounty was placed on his head..

Huzeifa had been linked to several high-profile raids in the Sahel region which includes a 2017 attack that killed four US soldiers and several troops from Niger.

He was killed on Sunday in an operation in the Northern town of Indelimane in the Menaka region.

Mali state TV described it as “a victory against a bane of evil”.

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.

The report said Huzeifa, who was also known as Higgo, was a Moroccan national and a commander in IS’s self-styled Sahel Province.

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.