Abuja: Two top commanders of the Boko Haram outfit have been killed in an operation in the restive state of Borno in Nigeria, the military said.
The outfit commanders, who were not named, were killed in an operation by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, capital of Borno, Xinhua reported citing JTF spokesperson Lt. Col. Sagir Musa.
"They were top commanders coordinating activities of the sect in Mubi and Yola in northeastern states of Yobe and Adamawa," he said.
The suspects were on their way to Damaturu, capital of Yobe, for a planned "special operation" to attack civilians and military locations, according to intelligence reports.
Boko Haram's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad".
But residents of Maiduguri, where it was formed in 2002, dubbed it Boko Haram. Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means "Western education is forbidden".
IANS
First Published: Friday, September 21, 2012, 09:50