Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari did not address the reported air raid on the militants and Kerry did not raise it in their meeting in Abuja, a senior State Department official said.
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A statement sent at about 1am said leader of a faction of the terrorists group who recently claimed possession of the Chibok girls, Abubakar Shekau, was seriously injured in the Air Force bombardment.
According to Usman, militants Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman – were confirmed dead, however, in a strike conducted by the Nigerian military Friday.
However, Usman was silent on whether or not the affected Boko Haram leaders were among those on the 100 most wanted list of the group released by the military.
In a statement, it said its planes had attacked the group inside the Sambisa forest in the country’s northeast on Friday.
A Nigerian judicial inquiry said this month the army killed 349 people from the minority Shi’ite Muslim sect last December in a series of clashes for which troops involved should be prosecuted. The situation for many of those who have managed to escape the clutches of Boko Haram remains delicate. At that time, the Islamic State declared Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the son of founder Yusuf, the new “governor” of Boko Haram.
Shekau pledged allegiance previous year to the Islamic State, although connections between the groups remain unclear. “We also know that beating Boko Haram on the battlefield is only the beginning of what we must do”, he added. On his first stop in the northern city of Sokoto, the top US diplomat said the struggle against Boko Haram would only succeed if it tackled the reasons why people join militant groups and gained the public’s trust. But such sales were halted during the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan amid corruption concerns and reports that Nigerian troops had carried out flagrant rights abuses against captured insurgents and innocents deemed to be backing Boko Haram. However since May this year, Washington has been poised to sell the west African country 12 light attack aircraft, a deal that is awaiting approval in Congress.
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Kerry told the group that asset recovery is a lengthy, complicated process but the US government has lawyers and accountants working on it, Mumuni said.
