The authorities of Mali announced last Monday that an influential and well-known commander of Daesh, Abou Houzeifa, also known as “Hugo,” was killed in an operation.
Mali’s military confirmed in an official press release that Abou Houzeifa was eliminated as a result of ongoing operations in the Liptako Gourma region with the objective of dismantling Daesh and other armed groups.
Abou Houzeifa, originally from the Maghreb region, was known as “Hugo” within the ranks of the Khawarij. He orchestrated attacks against military personnel, al-Qaeda-affiliated Mujahideen, and civilians in Mali, as well as neighboring countries like Burkina Faso and Niger.
Hugo waged war against all individuals in Mali and neighboring countries except those affiliated with his organization. Last July, thousands of civilians fled their villages to border areas of Algeria out of fear of his group’s operations.
