Jihadist leader in southern Mali arrested: security sources

By AFP

Mali

MAR 31, 2016 LISTEN

Members of Malian security walk past La Terrasse restaurant, on the left with the blue curtains, in the capital Bamako on March 7, 2015. By Habibou Kouyate (AFP/File)

Bamako (AFP) - Malian security forces have arrested a suspected jihadist leader in the south of the country, security sources said Thursday.

"Souleymane Keita, the top jihadist leader in the south of the country, was arrested a few days ago on the Mauritanian border, and transferred to Bamako on Wednesday," a security source said.

Another security source said the arrest, near the town of Sokolo, was made possible in part by the capture of one of his allies a few months ago in the centre of the country.