Posted on 11/18/2012 6:56:06 AM PST by csvset
Nigeria's military has killed a top commander of militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, an army spokesman has said. Ibn Saleh Ibrahim was killed in an exchange of fire with six of his lieutenants, the spokesman added.
An unknown number of civilians are said to have been killed in the crossfire, says a BBC reporter in Nigeria. Boko Haram, which has killed hundreds of people since 2009, has not commented on Mr Ibrahim's reported death.
The group's founding leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed by security forces in July 2009.
'War hero'
Boko Haram is now said to be led by Abubakar Shekau. Army spokesman Lt Col Sagir Musa told the BBC that Mr Ibrahim was "very close" to Mr Shekau and had a reputation of being "invincible".
"Yesterday [Thursday], we learned he was in town and we were able to track him in a special operation," he said. "There was an exchange of fire and in the process he was killed with six of his lieutenants." There has been no independent confirmation of Mr Ibrahim's role in Boko Haram. Lt Col Musa said Mr Ibrahim had been responsible for last month's assassination of retired General Mohammed Shuwa following an order from Mr Shekau. Gen Shuwa was shot dead at his home in Maiduguri - no group has said it carried out the attack. He is regarded by the Nigerian military as a war hero, and played a key role in crushing Biafran separatists during Nigeria's brutal civil war in the 1960s. In a statement, Lt Col Musa said the operation in Maiduguri, supported by armoured personnel carriers and helicopters, was on-going. Weapons and explosive devices have been recovered, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
What a poorly written sentence. It seems to say the opposite of what actually happened. Where are the proofreaders? I would expect better from the BBC.
Pretty sure that’s the Nigerian president, not the dead terrorist. I’d be surprised if Boko Haram members wore westen-style garb, being anti-western everything.
A promising future political career starting in Chicago, gone.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.