Nigeria’s struggle against Boko Haram

Borno state, in northeastern Nigeria, has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the military and Boko Haram jihadists for more than a decade. Last autumn, the authorities announced that they wanted to close the Borno refugee camps as they claimed the insurgency was almost eradicated. However, in recent months, deadly attacks have taken place on the outskirts of the regional capital Maiduguri. Our team met some of the two million displaced people who have fled the fighting.

A fair number of Boko Haram terrorists on Wednesday afternoon were killed by troops of the Nigerian military in Borno State, after a heavy gun fire with Nigerian troops in Damboa town.

The Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) militant group said in an audio recording heard by Reuters on Sunday that Abubakar Shekau, leader of rival Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram, was dead.

Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, is said to have committed suicide in battle. Far from solving a problem for the Nigerian government, his death is likely to further destabilize the region.

A group of fighters from the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have pledged allegiance to rival group the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) weeks after the former group's leader died, a video obtained by Reuters showed.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday. ⁣

The US-made aircraft were formally sold under the Trump administration in 2017. Nigeria wants the 12 attack planes to battle an Islamist insurgency; militants downed one of its jets this week.

Nigerian authorities enlist the help of traditional hunters to guard farmers in their fields against attacks from the radical Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram.

Lately, repentant Boko Haram members, accompanied by their families, have been surrendering to the Nigerian military. Many have been asking “why the sudden surrender” by these Boko Haram members. Here are the reasons why they have been ‘surrendering’ to Nigerian troops.

In northern Nigeria dozens of fighters from jihadist group Boko Haram have been handing in their weapons, seeking reintegration into society. The government claims the credit, though the full reasons are less clear. And not everyone is ready to accept them back into the fold.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that Russia condemns the twin suicide bombings at Kabul's airport and expresses condolences to the families of those who died. The blasts near Kabul airport on Thursday killed at least 85 people, including 13 US servicemen, and were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.