Boko Haram: 'Senior fighters killed' in Nigeria raid

Group's leader Abubakar Shekau believed to be fatally wounded in air strike carried out by the military, say officials.

Nigerian forces have recaptured swaths of territory lost to Boko Haram [Issouf Sanogo/EPA]

The leader of the Boko Haram group is believed to be fatally wounded in an air strike carried out by the Nigerian military in the country's northeast, according to official sources.

Government planes attacked the group inside the Sambisa forest on Friday, the Nigerian air force said on Tuesday, adding that it had only just confirmed details of the impact of the raid.

"Their leader, so-called 'Abubakar Shekau', is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders," said the statement released by military spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman.

Usman also said three Boko Haram commanders - Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman - were confirmed dead and several others wounded.

There was no immediate reaction from Boko Haram to the government's claims.