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Isis-linked fighters in Nigeria cannot claim reward for Boko Haram leader, says US
Source: The Guardian
Isis-linked fighters in Nigeria cannot claim reward for Boko Haram leader, says US
State department had offered a $7m reward for Abubakar Shekau, believed killed or badly injured
Jason Burke Africa correspondent
Fri 21 May 2021 13.24 BST
The US government has told Islamic State-affiliated fighters in Nigeria they are not eligible for a reward after reports that the leader of Boko Haram had died during clashes in a forest in the north-east.
The US state department had offered $7m (£4.9m) for information about the identity or location of Abubakar Shekau as part of its global counter-terrorism rewards programme aimed at tracking down leading violent extremists and other fugitives.
It is thought Shekau either killed or badly injured himself on Wednesday by detonating explosives strapped around his waist to escape capture by fighters from Isis’s West Africa Province, known as Iswap, which had stormed his stronghold in the vast Sambisa Forest.
“News reports today indicate that Boko Haram terrorist Abubakar Shekau blew himself up in a confrontation with Isis affiliates,” the state department tweeted on Thursday night. “Hey, Isis guys. To clarify: no – you are not eligible for the reward for information on his identity or location. That’s not how the program works.”
-snip-
State department had offered a $7m reward for Abubakar Shekau, believed killed or badly injured
Jason Burke Africa correspondent
Fri 21 May 2021 13.24 BST
The US government has told Islamic State-affiliated fighters in Nigeria they are not eligible for a reward after reports that the leader of Boko Haram had died during clashes in a forest in the north-east.
The US state department had offered $7m (£4.9m) for information about the identity or location of Abubakar Shekau as part of its global counter-terrorism rewards programme aimed at tracking down leading violent extremists and other fugitives.
It is thought Shekau either killed or badly injured himself on Wednesday by detonating explosives strapped around his waist to escape capture by fighters from Isis’s West Africa Province, known as Iswap, which had stormed his stronghold in the vast Sambisa Forest.
“News reports today indicate that Boko Haram terrorist Abubakar Shekau blew himself up in a confrontation with Isis affiliates,” the state department tweeted on Thursday night. “Hey, Isis guys. To clarify: no – you are not eligible for the reward for information on his identity or location. That’s not how the program works.”
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/21/isis-linked-fighters-in-nigeria-cant-claim-reward-for-boko-haram-leader-says-us
U.S. Department of State