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Nigeria military: Radical Islamist Boko Haram spokesman shot dead
The Boko Haram sect also threatened journalists who previously reported on the government’s claim without mentioning Boko Haram’s denial.
Also on Monday, a Nigerian army soldier and 13 suspected Boko Haram members were killed in the northeastern city of Maiduguri. An explosive was thrown at a military vehicle, killing one soldier and injuring three others, said a security source who spoke on condition of anonymity. A shootout then occurred in which the 13 suspected Boko Haram members were killed.
The sect, whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the Hausa language of Nigeria’s north, has been waging an increasingly bloody fight against the nation’s government. More than 680 people have died in drive-by killings and bombings blamed on Boko Haram this year alone.
The sect has demanded the release of all its captive members and has called for strict Shariah law to be implemented across the entire country.
The killing of members of the sect’s senior leadership comes as the group recently changed some of its tactics and attacked more than 30 mobile phone towers throughout northern Nigeria, disrupting communications in a nation reliant on cellular phones.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the sect who occasionally appears in videos posted to the Internet, remains at large. Security officials and experts believe he and other Boko Haram members are hiding somewhere in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad or Niger.
The U.S. in June placed financial sanctions on Shekau and two other high-ranking Boko Haram members, though it remains unclear whether the group has any assets in America or use banks there.
