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Boko Haram Leader Appears Alive in Extremist Group's New Beheading Video: Reports

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The Nigerian Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has released a video, showing the beheading of a missing Nigerian Air Force pilot, which also features the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, claimed to have been killed by the Nigerian forces, the All Africa News24 reported Saturday.

MOSCOW, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Nigerian Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has released a video, showing the beheading of a missing Nigerian Air Force pilot, which also features the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, claimed to have been killed by the Nigerian forces, the All Africa News24 reported Saturday.

"Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath," the news outlet quoted the man alleged to be Abubakar Shekau as saying.

"Even if you kill me it will not stop us imposing Islamic rule. We are still in our Islamic state, reigning and teaching the Quran," he added.

According to the news outlet, the footage then showed plane wreckage appearing to have Nigerian military markings on it and the Nigerian pilot kneeling, as a Boko Haram fighter held an axe over him, later used in the beheading.

"We were shot down and our aircraft crashed. To this day I don't know the whereabouts of my second pilot," the pilot said in English in the video.

Last week, Nigerian authorities announced that the man posing as Shekau was killed in fighting with government troops in the far northeast of the country, the town of Kondunga while Shekau himself died in a battle last year, according to Nigeria's military.

As the details of the video and Shekau remain vague, the Nigeria's Defence Headquarters stated in a press release that the video did not indicate when and where it was shot and therefore could not be taken as proof that Shekau was alive.

"It is also noteworthy that the air plane said to be mentioned in the video had been missing before he was killed," the statement added . "As far as we are concerned, the individual who was appearing in video and claiming to be the leader of the terrorist group was killed in the Kondunga battle in September."

However, according to the man, identified as Shekau, the claims about him being killed were spread by the Nigerian propaganda.

Formed in 2002, Boko Haram which means "western education is a sin", began regular violent campaigns in 2009, killing thousands, and has progressed from bombings, raids and kidnappings to trying to seize territory in the past two months.

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