France says troops kill a leading jihadist in the Sahel

French troops killed one of the Sahel region's leading jihadists on Oct. 9, France's defense minister said on Tuesday. Ali Maychou was the No. 2 in command of Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked insurgents in West Africa's Sahara.

Violence by Islamist militants has proliferated in the sparsely-populated Sahel in recent years, with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State using central and Northern Mali as a launch pad for attacks across the largely desert region.

Also Read: New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 8.45 pm.