ABUJA, Feb 15 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Nigerian security forces have killed two of the most wanted Boko Haram terrorist leaders in the northeast state of Borno, the army has said.
The two, identified as Abul-Bas and Ibn Habib, were killed in an operation in Pulka axis of the restive Borno state, army spokesperson Mohammed Yerima said.
n a statement, the army said troops launched an offensive around Gumsuri and Gambori areas of the state, clearing and liberating some villages from the militants.
“Reports reaching Nigerian Army Headquarters confirmed that two high profile Boko Haram terrorist commanders named Abu Rajal and Tuja Sa’inna Banki were killed in the clearance operations,” the statement said.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, commended the gallant troops and urged them to carry out further incursions and clearance operations to ensure that the remnants of the insurgents were completely wiped out,” it added.
Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram insurgency since 2009 when the group turned violent following the death of its former leader Mohamed Yusuf in police custody.
No fewer than 20,000 people have been killed, mostly civilians, while between 2-3 million have been displaced from their homes across the Lake Chad region.
Such operations have continued to inflict heavy casualties on Boko Haram and on the so-called Islamic State of West Africa Province in the region, Yerima said.
The elimination of the two terrorist commanders, who have been on the intelligence watch-list for some time, further boosted the morale of government troops, he said. — NNN-AGENCIES
