Lagos / AFP
Nigeria’s military claimed on Tuesday to have seriously injured Boko Haram’s elusive leader Abubakar Shekau and killed other commanders in an air strike on the extremist group’s forest stronghold.
Nigeria has repeatedly claimed to have killed Shekau in previous raids only for him to appear shortly afterwards in videos.
Shekau was “fatally wounded in the shoulder” during Friday’s raids, said army spokesman Sani Usman. Usman also said three Boko Haram commanders were confirmed dead with several others wounded. The claim comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry visits the country for talks likely to focus on the fight against Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in 2009.