President Hollande has ordered at least 40 operations to kill “high value” jihadist targets in the Middle East and Africa, according to a new book.

The Socialist leader has secretly pledged to hunt down more enemies of the state than any predecessor since France’s “dirty war” in Algeria in the late 1950s, Vincent Nouzille claims.

The French air force, special forces and the “action” wing of the DGSE intelligence service have been used to attack terrorists. Since 2013, about 40 jihadists have been killed “either by the army, by the DGSE or more indirectly by allied countries on the basis of intelligence provided by France”, he says.