Military: French troops kill jihadist leader in northern Mali

French troops killed a senior jihadist leader in northern Mali a man purportedly behind a number of high-profile attacks and kidnappings, and ambitious and brazen enough that the United States had issued a $5 million reward for him  the French military announced Thursday.

Ahmed el Tilemsi was the military head and co-founder of a jihadist group called the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, one of several jihadist groups active in the region.

The U.S. government designated el Tilemsi a terrorist in December 2012 and offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to him.

He was killed Wednesday night in a French military operation, which was coordinated with Malian forces, in the Gao region in Mali, French military officials said.

"One of the things that proves he was a senior chief (in the group) is that when he got killed ... he was accompanied by a dozen (fighters) who were also ensuring his security," French Defense Ministry spokesman Sacha Mandel said.

About 10 suspected terrorists were "neutralized" -- which means killed or taken captive, according to the French military -- in the same operation, said Col. Gilles Jaron, another French military spokesman. Mali is a former French colony.

According to the U.S. State Department, el Tilemsi was among the militants who in September 2011 broke off from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb another terrorist group  to form the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa.