Boko Haram fighters 'surrender' as alleged chief killed

 The military claims Mohammed Bashir was an imposter posing as Boko
Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau, thought to have died in 2009

More than 260 Boko Haram militants have surrendered in north-eastern
Nigeria, the military has said.
The military says it has also killed a man featuring in the group's recent
propaganda videos, pretending to be its deceased leader Abubakar Shekau.
The army said it had killed Shekau last year, but never provided proof.
Boko Haram has suffered heavy losses in recent weeks as the Nigerian military
battles the group close to its hometown of Maiduguri in the north-east.
The military said that 135 Boko Haram members surrendered with their
weapons in Biu, Borno State, on Tuesday - and that 133 others surrendered
elsewhere in north-eastern Nigeria.
The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says that the claims are impossible to verify.
However, if they are true, it could be a major turning point for the army's
campaign against Boko Haram militants, our correspondent adds.

The kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls in April sparked a worldwide
campaign for their release.

It was also the first time that the Nigerian military has publicly mentioned the
death of the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, who security forces claimed had
died in clashes with the army in 2009.
General Chris Olukolade of the Nigerian military said that a man named
Mohammed Bashir was among those killed in the latest offensive against Boko
Haram last week.
Bashir "had been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau,
the eccentric character known as leader of the group", he added.
The military however did not give any dates or locations for when they believe
Shekau actually died.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting, Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan urged the council to find more ways to combat the militant
threat.
"Evidence has shown that Boko Haram is sourced largely from outside our
country," he said.
"Only by united action and firm resolve can we check this urgent threat to
humanity and also build the enduring structures that will resist their re-
emergence."
"Boko Haram" means "Western education is forbidden" in Arabic, and the
group frequently attacks schools and colleges, which it sees as a symbol of
Western culture.
Boko Haram was behind the kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from
Chibok in Borno state in April.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch says more than 2,000 civilians
have been killed in the region this year.