Nigerian Military Says Alleged Boko Haram Spokesman Killed
Nigerian soldiers on Monday shot dead a man suspected to have acted as a spokesman for Islamist group Boko Haram and arrested two other high-ranking members, a military official said.
"We carried out an operation early this morning in which we killed a media man of Boko Haram terrorists and arrested two field commanders of the sect," said Lieutenant Iweha Ikedichi, spokesman for a military task force, adding he did not have their exact identities.
Soldiers involved in the operation on the outskirts of the city of Kano said the man killed was suspected to be one of the Boko Haram spokesmen who uses the alias Abul Qaqa.
The operation at a checkpoint was carried out with the use of intelligence information, they said.
According to a soldier who spoke on condition of anonymity, the three suspects were coming into Kano early Monday along with a woman they were transporting to receive medical treatment.
The alleged spokesman was said to have resisted and was killed in a shootout. One of those arrested is an alleged "field commander" for Kogi and Kaduna states as well as for the capital Abuja, the soldier said.
The woman who was with them allegedly told security forces that the man killed was the person who uses the alias Abul Qaqa.
Statements are often issued on behalf of Boko Haram in the name of Abul Qaqa, and someone identifying himself by that name has regularly held phone conferences with journalists.
Earlier this year, security sources said a suspect believed to be a person who goes by the alias Abul Qaqa had been arrested.
At the time, a purported Boko Haram member confirmed one of the group's high-ranking members was arrested, but refuted reports that the detained person was its spokesman.
Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths as part of its insurgency in Nigeria's northern and central regions.
Its attacks have grown increasingly deadly and sophisticated, including suicide bombings at U.N. headquarters in Abuja and an office for one of the country's most prominent newspapers.
Muslims have often been its victims, though it has specifically targeted churches in recent months and President Goodluck Jonathan has warned that the group is seeking to spark a religious crisis.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south.
There has been a lull in major attacks in recent weeks, with the government saying it was engaging in back-channel talks in an effort to halt the violence.
A previous attempt at dialogue earlier this year collapsed when a mediator quit over leaks to the media and a Boko Haram spokesman said they could not trust the government.
Boko Haram is however believed to include a number of factions in addition to criminal gangs and others who carry out violence under the guise of the group.
Source: Agence France Presse
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