Nigerian army announces death of Boko Haram commander Abu Khalid

Nigeria's armed forces said on Sunday that a key commander of the islamist organisation Boko Haram was killed in a night raid by the armed forces in Borno State.

Abu Khalid was one of the key figures in the islamist terrorist group Boko Haram, which operates mainly in Nigeria's north.

The commander, reportedly the second-in-command for the group's logistics and operations in Sambisa Forest in Borno State, was killed by a recent Nigerian military operation in the area, according to a statement by the armed forces on Sunday.

Aside from Abu Khalid, ten Boko Haram militants also died during the raid. No casualties were reported on the side of the Nigerian military.

The commander's death is one of the rare successes of the Nigerian armed forces, which have been struggling to contain rising levels of violence in the country in the past months. The military is battling on two fronts, trying to reign in both islamist terrorist groups like Boko Haram or its branch ISWAP, as well as armed gangs that kidnap locals and ask for ransom payments.