Nigerian military offensive kills Boko Haram commander

AFP reported that the Nigerian military declared on Thursday that it has successfully killed a Boko Haram commander responsible for recent high profile assassinations including a retired general.                

In a major offensive, a major commander of the book Haram terrorist sect commanding the northwest and the northeast, Ibn Saleh Ibrahim, with some of his commanders and foot soldiers, were killed, a military statement said.              

"The late Ibn Saleh was confirmed to be responsible for the recent assassination of Civil War hero, the late General Mamman Shuwa, through the orders of the leader of the Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau."               

The statement added that the operation was still ongoing and that weapons and explosives had been recovered.                

Nigeria's military has however frequently exaggerated its successes against Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, whose insurgency in the country's northern and central regions has left hundreds of people dead.                

The claim from the military could not be independently verified.