The Malian army has announced the killing of a senior rebel commander and "other terrorists" in a drone strike in the northern part of the country

Mali's government announced on Sunday that it had killed a senior Tuareg rebel commander and other rebels in a drone strike on a town in the north of the country.

A Reuters journalist in Tinzaouaten, located on the border with Algeria, witnessed the strike on the town, which is controlled by a rebel coalition called the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defence of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA).

This week, Tuareg factions had been meeting in Tinzaouaten to form a unified political and military structure.

"Several CSP cadres were killed, including the notorious Fahad Ag Almahmoud," said Chodi Ag, a mission manager at Mali's communications ministry, on Facebook.

'Other terrorists' were also reported killed.

Separatist groups from northern Mali, primarily composed of ethnic Tuaregs, launched a rebellion against the government in 2012, which later merged with an insurgency led by militant groups connected to al Qaeda.

A peace agreement between the government and rebels, signed in 2015, collapsed in July of this year, sparking renewed fighting. This included a fierce battle around Tinzaouaten that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Almahmoud was a key figure in the CSP alliance. He played a crucial role in coordinating between its factions and representing them in negotiations with authorities over the peace agreement.

A military source, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that the strikes on Tinzaouaten had killed Almahmoud and other "terrorist leaders."

The army has yet to make an official statement on the attack.

Since the July conflict, multiple drone strikes in Tinzaouaten have killed dozens of civilians, including children, doctors, and residents.