Boko Haram Leader Dispels Death News In New Video.....

Reuters) - A man claiming to be Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has appeared in a new video, contradicting Nigerian military reports that he was killed, French news agency AFP reported on Thursday.

Screen grabs of the video, seen by Reuters, show a figure in boots and combat fatigues who looks similar to the man claiming to be Shekau in previous videos.

"Here I am, alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath," he says in the northern Hausa language, reported the news agency, which normally receives Boko Haram tapes first, before they are distributed online.

Nigeria's military said last week that the man who had been posing as Shekau in the group's growing number of videos had been killed in clashes over the town of Konduga.

The military announced the death of Shekau himself a year ago, saying he had died in battle.

After that, the man appearing in videos as Shekau did look different from before, with a wider nose, less defined bridge and a rounder face.

In the most recent video, Shekau says "nothing will kill me until my days are over ... Some people asked you if Shekau has two souls. No, I have one soul, by Allah," AFP said.