BAMAKO, Mali -- France's president announced the death of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara's leader late Wednesday, calling Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi's killing "a major success" for the French military after more than eight years fighting extremists in the Sahel.
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that al-Sahrawi "was neutralized by French forces" but gave no further details.
Rumors of the militant leader's death had circulated for weeks in Mali, though there had been no confirmation by authorities in the region.
"This is a decisive blow against this terrorist group," French Defense Minister Florence Parly tweeted. "Our fight continues."
It was not announced where al-Sahrawi was killed, though the Islamic State group has been blamed for dozens of attacks along the border between Mali and Niger.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim or to know how the remains had been identified.
Al-Sahrawi had claimed responsibility for a 2017 attack in Niger that killed four U.S. military personnel and four people with Niger's military.
He has long been active with Islamic extremists in Mali, at one time serving as the spokesman of the Mali-based group known as MUJAO that controlled the major northern town of Gao during the jihadist occupation in 2012.
That group was loyal to the regional al-Qaida affiliate. But Walid parted ways and in October 2016 a video circulated on the internet in which he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
The French military has been fighting Islamic extremists in the Sahel region where it was once the colonial power after intervening in northern Mali in 2013. It recently announced, though, that it would be drawing down its military presence in the region, with plans to withdraw 2,000 troops by early next year.
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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.