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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Photo prompts speculation Nigeria's Boko Haram leader killed in battle |
| 2014-09-24 |
| [FOXNEWS] A grainy and gruesome photo has fueled speculation that the infamous leader of the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... is dead, even as the African nation's army presses fighters in the northern territory and the fate of hundreds of hostages hangs in the balance. The military in neighboring Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... claims to have killed Abubakar Shekau, the warlord seen earlier this year in a monstrous video vowing to sell nearly 300 kidnapped schoolgirls, and even released a photo purportedly of his corpse. Nigerian security forces are trying to authenticate the report, and officials in the U.S., which has aided Nigeria's hunt for Shekau, declined to comment when asked by Fox News if they are checking into the validity of the image. "We are aware of the reports, but can't confirm anything at this time," a U.S. State department official said. There is no question that the man shown in the photo released by Cameroon bears a strong resemblance to Shekau, but the terror leader reportedly uses body doubles to confound his enemies. The recent report is not the first time that Shekau was claimed to have been killed, although the statement from Cameroon, which has been battling Boko Haram at the border, and the photo, make this instance more compelling than others. Cameroon officials say Shekau was killed in battle near the northeastern city of Konduga. According to Bloomberg.com, the Nigerian Armed Forces tweeted out a posting claiming that more than 60 Boko Haram Death Eaters were killed in the battle and that a big shot had been captured. Military officials in the region had claimed last year that Shekau was killed in a battle on June 30. He later appeared in a video sent to media outlets to prove that he was still alive. |
| Posted by:Fred |