Nigeria’s military again says it killed Boko Haram chief
LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s military said Tuesday it believes an airstrike has “fatally wounded” Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and killed about 300 militants, but there was no way to confirm yet another claim of the death of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist leader.
A statement does not say how the military got the information but identifies other commanders as “confirmed dead” in an air raid on Friday.
Nigerian security forces have at least three times in the past declared that they have killed or fatally wounded Shekau, only to have him resur- face in video and audio recordings. The military has said that Boko Haram was using look-alike fighters to impersonate the supposedly dead leader.
The Nigerian Air Force carried out “the most unprecedented and spectacular air raid” while Shekau was praying on Friday, Islam’s holy day, at Taye village in the extremists’ Sambisa Forest holdout in northeast Nigeria, according to the statement signed by army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman.
“Boko Haram terrorist commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, amongst others. While their leader, so-called ‘Abubakar Shekau,’ is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders. Several other terrorists were also wounded,” he said.
A separate Air Force statement said the raid killed 300 militants and was a result of human intelligence and reconnaissance indicating key Boko Haram commanders were gathering for a meeting.
The statements came the same day Secretary of State John Kerry met in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, with President Muhammadu Buhari to discuss Islamic extremism and regional security. Kerry, speaking Tuesday morning in northern Sokoto city, made no reference to the army’s report.
Kerry praised the Sultan of Sokoto, spiritual leader of Nigeria’s Muslims, for his work preaching tolerance and bringing together interfaith groups “to do the hard work of pushing back against extremism.” He called also for empathy even for former Boko Haram fighters.
“Breaking the cycle of violence requires treating those who escape or defect from Boko Haram, and particularly those who were abducted against their will, with sensitivity as they return to their old communities,” Kerry said.
Kerry noted that Boko Haram fighters Saturday attacked a village near Chibok, killing 10 people and taking 13 girls and women hostage. Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, is where nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted from a school in April 2014. Dozens of the kidnapped girls escaped, but 218 remain missing.
A video showing dozens of the girls on Sunday said Shekau is willing to negotiate a prisoner swap for detained commanders.