Al-Qaeda chief in north Africa killed - France

France says it has killed the leader of al-Qaeda in north Africa, Abdelmalek Droukdel, in an operation in Mali.

Defence Minister Florence Parly said Droukdel along with members of his inner circle had been killed in the north of the country on Wednesday.

French forces had also captured a senior Islamic State group commander in Mali in an operation in May, she said.

The "daring operations" had dealt "severe blows to the terrorist groups", she said.

"Our forces, in co-operation with their partners in the Sahel, will continue to hunt them relentlessly," she said.