Niger’s military announced it has eliminated a senior Boko Haram commander in the country’s southeast during a targeted air operation.
The army said the militant, known as Bakura but identified by authorities as Ibrahim Mahamadu, was killed last week on an island in the Diffa region, near the Lake Chad basin where Niger borders Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon. Officials described the attack as a “surgical operation” carried out by fighter jets.
Bakura was considered one of the group’s most feared figures, linked to cross-border raids and attacks on civilians. Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began in Nigeria in 2009, has since spread into neighboring countries, killing more than 40,000 people and displacing millions.
Niger first faced Boko Haram attacks in 2015 around Bosso on the shores of Lake Chad. The latest operation highlights the army’s continued campaign to push back extremist groups operating in the region.