Nigerian forces battling the Islamist terror group Boko Haram have killed a man suspected of acting as the group's leader, Nigeria's Defense Ministry said.

The soldiers and Boko Haram militants clashed several times in the past week in communities around the city of Maiduguri in the country's northeastern Borno state, the ministry's statement said.

"In the course of those encounters, one Mohammed Bashir who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group, died," it said.

"Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the terrorists' leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title."

The Nigerian military has touted Shekau's death several times, only to retract its claim after he appeared alive and well in propaganda videos.

Several other Boko Haram fighters also died in the latest fighting, the Defense Ministry said, and a number were captured along with their equipment.

Another 135 militants also surrendered to Nigerian troops in the Biu area, southwest of Maiduguri, it said.

(CNN)