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| Mali army | Photo: Reuters |
The army in the West African country of Mali said on Saturday it had arrested two people, one of whom is a leader of the Sahel branch of the Islamic State (IS) militant group.
The Malian army also said it had killed several ISIS members in an operation in the north of the country.
The army statement said that one of the two men they arrested was Mohamed Ould Erkehil, alias Abu Rakia, alias Abu Hash, a senior figure in ISIS.
The Malian army has accused Abu Rakiya of coordinating atrocities against civilians in the Menaka and Gao regions of the country's northeast, and of coordinating attacks against the army.
Mali has been facing deep instability since 2012. This instability is linked to Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and local criminal gangs.
The country's military rulers have severed ties with former colonial power France and are leaning militarily and politically towards Russia.