The head of France's joint chiefs of staff announced on Monday that a senior al Qaeda field commander has most likely been killed in Mali.

"It is probable, but only probable. We don't have any certainty for the moment," Edouard Guillaud told Europe 1 radio when asked about the death of Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, known as one of the most ruthless terrorists in the region. "It would be good news," he added. 

His death could not be confirmed because his body has not been recovered.