Boko Haram Leader Is Wounded in Airstrike, Nigeria’s Military Says

The Nigerian military said on Tuesday that airstrikes had killed and wounded several top Boko Haram commanders in the Sambisa Forest in the country’s northeast, where militants have been hiding for months.

Among the wounded was Abubakar Shekau, who took the helm of the group after the death of its founder in 2009, according to Col. Sani Usman, a military spokesman. The military’s attack took place on Friday.

At least three other top commanders were killed in “the most unprecedented and spectacular air raid,” the military said in a news release.

The military has claimed to have killed Mr. Shekau before. Leaders of the militant group are thought to be holed up deep in the forest, and any reports of deaths or injuries to commanders were impossible to independently confirm.

The news release from the military on Tuesday prompted confusion by stating that Mr. Shekau was “fatally wounded on his shoulders.” Colonel Usman later clarified, saying he had been wounded.

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Image courtesy of Reuters