The Nigerian army says it has killed a senior Boko Haram commander and 10 other fighters during a night raid in Borno state, dealing a major blow to the extremist group’s leadership.
In a statement on Sunday, the army identified the slain commander as Abu Khalid, describing him as the second-in-command of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest, the group’s long-time stronghold in Nigeria’s North East.
According to the military, Abu Khalid played a critical role within the terrorist hierarchy, overseeing operations and coordinating logistics across the Sambisa axis.
“No casualties were recorded among our troops during the operation,” the army said, adding that clearance operations are ongoing across the Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains, Timbuktu Triangle, and other known hideouts of Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Nigeria has been fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP for more than a decade. The insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes across the Lake Chad region, creating one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises.
