Boko Haram Is Killing African Soldiers: Murders In Nigeria, Niger Show Strength Of Terror Group

Boko Haram militants killed five soldiers and injured six others during an ambush attack Monday in Toumour, Niger, near the border with Nigeria. The violence is the latest sign that Boko Haram is still carrying out successful attacks across Nigeria's border into Niger, Chad and Cameroon even as Nigeria's government has vowed to wipe out the terror group.

Niger's defense ministry said soldiers fought back during the deadly attack, killing 30 Boko Haram fighters and seizing a large quantity of arms and ammunition. Col. Moustapha Michel Ledru described the battle on national television Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported.

Boko Haram militants killed two soldiers and wounded two others on Sept. 8 when their patrol vehicle went over "an improvised explosive device," according to a military statement released late Tuesday. In June, Boko Haram killed at least 30 soldiers from Niger and two Nigerian troops in an attack on Niger's border with Nigeria. The terror group also killed five villagers in the same area earlier this month.

Boko Haram released a video Tuesday that showed militants threatening to "capture" Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader who was elected to office after he vowed to eradicate the group.

"Message to the infidels and the leader of the entire infidels, who is the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, that he should know we are very strong and doing very good," said the speaker, adding that the group will "capture Buhari with our hands."

The Nigeria-based jihadist group has killed at least 20,000 people in Nigeria and border areas of neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon since it first began carrying out attacks seven years ago. Boko Haram has left more than 2.6 million Africans homeless.

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group based in Syria and Iraq in 2015.