Nigeria’s military said 300 insurgents in total were killed including several senior fighters in a raid on north-eastern Borno state.
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Nigeria’s military said it may have killed Abubakar Shekau, the disputed leader of the Boko Haram, during an air strike on the Sambisa forest in the northeastern state of Borno on August 19.
The US had been closely monitoring the fight against the Boko Haram which has declared allegiance to the dreaded Islamic State and attacked Nigeria’s neigbouring countries. “Several other terrorists were also wounded”.
Kerry said it was the only way Nigeria’s battle against Boko Haram will succeed.
An estimated 15,000 people have been killed by the group, which controls territory the size of Maryland along northeastern Nigeria’s borders with Niger, Chad and Cameroon. US intelligence officials have said Shekau is bent on establishing an Islamic caliphate.
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.
Three months ago, the International Crisis Group argued that Boko Haram had been weakened and “put on the defensive” by a growing and coordinated military response by Nigeria and its neighbors.
“Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, among others, while their leader, the so-called “Abubakar Shekau”, is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders”.
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“The current phase of intensified air operations over Northern Borno paid-off on the night of 19 August 2016 when the NAF, during an air attack, killed about 300 BHTs who had gathered to hold a meeting at a location between Malam Fatori and own troops location at Kangarwa”.
