Algeria’s special forces have killed the leader of a jihadist militant group which kidnapped and beheaded Herve Gourdel, French tourist .

Abdelmalek Gouri, the head of Jund al-Khilafa, and two associates were shot dead on Monday night in the town of Isser, a statement said.

His group, Jund al-Khilafa (Soldiers of the Caliphate), is aligned with the Islamic State group, IS, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Gourdel was kidnapped in Djurdjura mountains and killed in response to French air strikes on IS, late September.

The Algerian army subsequently launched a major operation to track down members of Jund al-Khilafa, which has seen several of them killed.

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Algeria Army kills leader of Jihadist group