Niger Says Airstrike Killed Boko Haram Leader Ibrahim Bakoura as Aide Denies
Nigerien military claims the death of Boko Haram leader Ibrahim Bakoura in Lake Chad airstrike on August 15, though intercepted communications and experts cast doubt on the assertion.
- On August 15, the Nigerien army said it killed Boko Haram commander Ibrahim Bakoura in a targeted air attack on Shilawa Island in the Lake Chad basin.
- Amid renewed regional intelligence efforts, Boko Haram exploits the Lake Chad basin, causing more than 2 million displaced and around 35,000 deaths, prompting recent arrests and operations.
- Military officials said the operation tracked Bakoura for weeks before Nigerien air force fighter aircraft launched three precise strikes in Shilawa Island, killing dozens and linking him to the Kuriga kidnapping of more than 300 students.
- Gen. Abdurahamane Tiani hailed the operation as a major breakthrough, but AFP and analysts said the claim could not be independently verified, with Vincent Foucher warning, `I believe that we have to be very very prudent.`
- Analysts note verification is difficult because Ibrahim Bakoura has been reported dead at least three times before, and leadership losses matter only if regional governments and intelligence services prevent regrouping this year.
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78 Articles

Boko Haram denies Nigerien army claim to have killed leader
A close aide to the head of jihadist group Boko Haram on Friday denied Nigerien army claims that he he had been killed in a targeted airstrike in the Lake Chad basin.


Niger announced this Friday that it had eliminated the leader of Boko Haram, an information categorically denied by the jihadist group.
The Niger Army claims to have killed Ibrahim Mahamadou aka "Bakura", leader of the jihadist group Boko Haram, but experts call for caution in the face of the lack of evidence.
Niger army says it killed a senior Boko Haram leader in a targeted
DAKAR, Senegal: The army in Niger says it used a targeted airstrike to kill a senior leader of the Boko Haram jihadi group, which has killed thousands of people in West Africa.Ibrahim Bakoura was killed in an Aug. 15 strike in the Lake Chad region that killed “dozens of terrorists” and Boko Haram senior leaders, the army claimed in a state television broadcast Thursday.
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