The head of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (Daesh, ISGS), who was wanted for deadly attacks on US soldiers and foreign aid workers, has been killed in an operation by French troops.

Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi was "neutralized by French forces," President Emmanuel Macron tweeted early Thursday.

"This is another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel," Macron said, without giving the location or details of the operation.

Defense Minister Florence Parly said Sahrawi died following a strike by France's Barkhane force, which battles militants in the Sahel.

"It is a decisive blow against this terrorist group," she tweeted.

"Our fight continues."

The militant leader was behind the killing of French aid workers in 2020 and was also wanted by the United States over a deadly 2017 attack on US troops in Niger.

Sahrawi in 2015 formed the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, which is blamed for most of the militant attacks in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

The flashpoint "tri-border" area is frequently targeted by ISGS and the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

ISGS has carried out deadly attacks targeting civilians and soldiers in the region.

The United States had offered a $5 million reward for information on the whereabouts of Sahrawi, who was wanted over an Oct. 4, 2017 attack in Niger that killed four US Special Forces and four Niger troops.