France on Friday said its forces had killed a senior Al-Qaeda commander during an operation in northeastern Mali in Africa.

According to French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly, a military strike claimed the life of a leader of Al-Qaeda's North Africa wing – Bah ag Moussa.

"A historic figure of the jihadist movement in the Sahel, Bah ag Moussa is considered responsible for several attacks against Malian and international forces," Parly said in a statement.

"This is a major success in the fight against terrorism," she added.

Moussa was listed on the US terrorism list and was killed on Tuesday after an operation involving ground troops and helicopters.

In recent weeks, French forces launched a series of operations and killed dozens of Islamist fighters.