Malian army says it killed an Islamic State group commander who attacked U.S., Niger forces

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A senior Islamic State group commander wanted in connection with the deaths of U.S. forces in Niger was killed in an operation by Malian state forces, the country’s army said.

Abu Huzeifa, known by the alias Higgo, was a commander in the group known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. The State Department had announced a reward of up to $5 million for information about him.

Huzeifa is believed to have helped carry out an attack in 2017 on U.S. and Nigerien forces in Tongo Tongo, Niger, which resulting in the deaths of four Americans and four Nigerien soldiers. Following the attack, the U.S. military scaled back operations with local partners in the Sahel.

“The identification and clues gathered confirm the death of Abu Huzeifa dit Higgo, a foreign terrorist of great renown,” the Malian army said in a statement late Monday.