Mali announces death of IS-GS military commander in gun battle

Adamou Diallo, aka Oussama Diallo, the military commander of Islamic State – Sahel Province (IS-GS) has been killed in a clash with Malian armed forces in Menaka, North of the West African country, Moussa AG Acharatoumane, member of the transitional power and Secretary of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) announced on X, former Twitter.
The gun confrontation occurred Sunday December 3 amid the Malian army’s efforts to stamp its presence in the northern region after conquering back the key city of Kidal.
A Nigerien national, Diallo had been credited with several terrors attacks both in Mali and Niger, including the Tongo Tongo ambush in Niger on October 4, 2017, in which four American and five Nigerien soldiers were killed, as well as the deadly attack on the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) at Indelimanane.
Another source, also a member of MNLA, who asked not be named because not allowed to speak on the matter, confirmed the killing of Diallo.
“He was killed yesterday on the outskirts of Ménaka, in a region where he and his men have committed the worst atrocities since the start of the security crisis in the Sahel,” the source added.
Malia has been grappling since 2013 with terrorism after the country slid into an internal conflict with the central administration losing most part of territory to rebels. Last month the armed forces seized Kidal, the capital of the country’s eighth region from Touareg rebels who had been controlling the region for 10 years.