Shekau dismisses claims he is wounded in air stike in new video
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has dismissed claims that he was wounded in an airstrike in a new video posted on YouTube.
Shekau claimed the latest video, 14 minutes long, was shot on Thursday, May 4, barely 12 hours after military sources said he had been wounded.
Wearing a military camouflage and flanked two of his fighters, the Boko Haram leader boasted that he’s alive and that the Nigerian military will never find him.
Citing military and civilian sources, AFP claimed on Wednesday that the terror had been injured and and his deputy Abba Mustapha, alias Malam Abba, was killed in the attack along with another key lieutenant, Abubakar Gashua, alias Abu Aisha, when two Nigerian Air Force jets bombarded fighters who had gathered for prayers in Balla village, some 40 kilometres from Damboa, on the edge of the Sambisa Forest, last Friday.
In an emailed statement on Tuesday night, the air force said it had bombed “a gathering of Boko Haram terrorists” last Friday “in a village 3.42 km northeast of Mangosum”
“Battle damage assessment conducted after the strike showed that several leaders of the Boko Haram terrorist organisation and their followers were killed during the attacks,” it added. But it did not mention that Shekau was injured.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.