Key Islamic State figure captured by French troops In Mali

A senior figure in a branch of the Islamic State extremist group was captured by French troops deployed in Mali. He was apprehended in the Sahel region of Africa, the military said Wednesday.

The person captured was identified as of Oumeya Ould Albakaye.

"In the night of 11-12 June, an operation of the (French) Barkhane force allowed the capture of Oumeya Ould Albakaye, a senior figure in the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS)," said a spokesman for the chief of staff. 

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is a Sunni jihadist group known for its violent ideology. The group calls itself a caliphate and claims religious authority over all Muslims. The terror group was It was inspired by al Qaida but later publicly expelled from it.