The Boko Haram terrorist group yesterday
continued its gory killings in Yobe and Borno
States, even as it emerged that the sect has
formally aligned with the ruthless Islamic
State (ISIS) militants in the Middle East,
when both groups jointly released a video.
The joint release of the video sets a terrifying
new precedent. It is the first gruesome video
of a beheading since it (Boko Haram) pledged
allegiance to ISIS last year.
In the video, a suspected Nigerian soldier
was seen in a kneeling position, surrounded
by three terrorists wielding AK 47 assault
rifles and later, another picture, without the
head.
This video is coming as President
Muhammadu Buhari and the federal
government continue to work day and night
to tackle and end the insurgency before it
runs out of hand and have vowed to crush
the insurgents to the last man.
The video adopts many of the same style-
points as the hundreds of barbaric videos
released by ISIS over the last year.
The ‘West Africa’ insignia at the top-left
corner of the video, suggests the terror
group may have set up a new so-called
media wing in the country.
It was learnt that a Somali terror group has
also disclosed intentions to join ISIS, which
would extend its so-called caliphate to East
Africa.
According to Daily Mail online, the 10 minute-
long propaganda video begins with what
appears to be an intense fire fight against
Nigerian soldiers. Boko Haram fighters
exchange machine gun fire with the troops
and launch heavy mortar grenades on their
locations. It shows them standing proudly
next to the corpses of scorched Nigerian
troops – and showing off their security
badges to the camera.
The video ends with the senseless murder of
a captured African Union soldier. With a look
of true horror on his face, the man kneels in
front of three masked Boko Haram fanatics –
two of whom point AK47s at his head. The
video then cuts to reveal his decapitated
body lying motionless on the floor.
Islamic State accepted a pledge of allegiance
from Boko Haram, who were responsible for
the deaths of over 10,000 in Nigeria in 2014,
in March this year.
The audio message entitled ‘kill and be
killed’, released through the militants’ vast
social media channels, was read by an ISIS
spokesperson who also threatened further
violence against the Christian and Jewish
communities.
The sequence of events clearly indicated that
Boko Haram that has been causing
devastation in the North Eastern part of the
country, has forged a strong operational
alliance with ISIS.
Speaking for his leader Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi, the man in the recording said, “we
announce to you to the good news of the
expansion of the caliphate to West Africa.
“Our caliph has accepted the pledge of
loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we
congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers
in West Africa.”
The militants have been waging a six-year
insurgency to impose strict Sharia law in
Nigeria and earlier this year, launched
attacks across the border on Cameroon,
before striking Niger and Chad.
The group has killed thousands in bomb
attacks and violent sieges on villages in the
remote north-east, and are now feared to be
spilling over into neighbouring Cameroon and
Chad.
It inspired five African nations to form a
coalition to take the group on and 8,700
troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger
and Benin are expected to begin operations
before the end of next month.
Also yesterday, the Somali terror group, Al-
Shabaab, indicated it could soon scrap its
allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge loyalty to
rivals ISIS, instead.
Islamic State invited the East African jihadi
group to join forces with them through a
propaganda video released in March, urging
it to wage jihad on neighbouring Kenya,
Ethiopia and Tanzania
Now, Al-Shabaab members and sources
within the Somali army suggest the invitation
will be accepted and the group, which
commands around 9,000 fighters, will soon
extend ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate to
East Africa.
The decision comes at a time when many of
Al-Shabaab’s local and foreign leaders are
being killed by commando raids and drone
strikes, the group is rapidly losing territory
and its money is running out as a result.
Security expert, Ryan Cummings says that
ISIS’ desire to merge with Al-Shabaab is part
of its international expansion plan.
“Al-Shabaab is the largest jihadi movement
in East Africa and central to the core
mandate of ISIS is the unification of the
Muslim world,” a counter-terrorism expert
told CNN at the time.
Ryan Cummings added that a merger “would
be a significant ideological victory for the
group (ISIS). It would be massive from a
public relations perspective, which is central
to the Islamic State’s operations.
“The Islamic State still wants to create the
perception that it’s growing and branching
out to various parts of the world. The only
way that it will be able to achieve this will be
to have groups serving as an extension in
their various areas of operation.”
Several insurgents killed in battle with troops
Meanwhile, several suspected terrorists
were feared dead
when troops who were newly deployed to the
troubled Borno State clashed along the
Damaturu-Maiduguri road, on Saturday
morning.
The incident, according to sources, took
place on Saturday morning, between
Ngamdu-Mainok-Jakana villages, which is
about 50km drive to Maiduguri, the state
capital.
Between Benisheik and Ngamdu is about
25km stretch of road, without any security
checkpoint.
According to a security source, the
terrorists, in a convoy of three white
coloured Hilux vehicles, had earlier
barricaded the road where they blocked two
motorists, including a truck, which they
suspected were conveying foodstuff to
Maiduguri, but luck run out on them as troops
with support from the residents of Jakana
village, immediately swung into action and
killed some of the terrorists before they set
ablaze two hilux vehicles and destroyed the
third, all belonging to the terrorists.
The source further stated that at about noon,
a detachment of military troops was seen at
the scene, with over four Armoured
Personnel Carriers, evacuating some
corpses and the injured to Maiduguri, but
insisted that he did not know if there were
casualties on the side of the troops.
“I can confidently tell you that the busy
Maiduguri-Damaturu road had a deadly
attack between insurgents and troops, which
I believe many of the terrorists were killed
with destruction of three of their vehicles,”
the source emphasised.
Another security official in one of the villages
on the axis, while also confirming the
incident, said travellers were being asked to
detour as terrorists had taken over the road
between Benisheik, a town 85km away from
Maiduguri and Ngamdu, 35km away from
Damaturu.
The security source, who preferred
anonymity, said 10 persons were killed in an
earlier attack at Ngamdu village of
Benesheikh, the council headquarters of
Kaga local government area, on Friday night,
adding that it may be the same group that
clashed with troops on Saturday.
4 Suicide Bombers Die In Failed Mission
Four suspected Boko Haram suicide
bombers were yesterday killed by the
explosives they were ferrying in a tricycle,
popularly called Keke NAPEP, after a failed
attempt to enter a large bus station in
Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, witnesses
and security sources said.
A thunderous explosion resonated all over
Maiduguri at exactly 7:11am yesterday.
Witnesses said the bombers went after a
passenger bus that was coming out of the
Borno Express Terminus filled with travellers,
but could not get the bomb detonated on
time. The tricycle later exploded, killing all
the passengers except one who managed to
alight shortly after the tricycle hit the rear of
the moving passenger bus.
The suicide bombers, according to
witnesses, tried to enter the terminus to
detonate the bomb but were stopped by
security operatives at the entrance who
asked them to park outside because as a
rule, only cars and buses are allowed into the
park. The bombers were said to have made
another failed attempt through the exit gate, a
distance of about 300 meters apart and as a
last resort, decided to take it on a bus that
had loaded its passengers and was exiting
the terminus.
The tricycle driver was said to have driven
after the bus and tried to ram into its rear,
but the driver was quick to speed off and
seconds later, the tricycle exploded.
According to Aliyu Danmalam, a Civilian JTF
operative, “when they came initially, we
suspected a foul move as the Keke NAPEP
rider came to attempt taking passengers into
the station; everyone knows only cars and
buses enter the park but here we had a
tricycle rider trying to ride in. Only a total
stranger would want to ride Keke NAPEP into
the park.
“It didn’t occur to us to quickly arrest him,
rather, we sent him back. He even tried
going through the exit gate but later changed
his mind. He then waited, with his
passengers still on board, for a bus to come
out before he decided to attack. One of the
passengers on the suicide tricycle was said
to have escaped seconds after the rider
rammed the tricycle into the rear of the
moving bus before it exploded. He was later
arrested by youths who went after him. But
one woman and two other persons were
injured due to the explosion.”
15 killed in Chad
At least 15 people were killed and 74 injured
in a suicide bomb attack at a crowded
market in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena on
Saturday.
No group has claimed responsibility for the
Chad attack, but authorities have blamed the
Nigeria-based militants for a series of
bombings and shootings in the country in
recent weeks.
Travellers on the route passing through the
Nigerian village of Ngamdu were asked to
turn back as the terrorists mount road blocks
on the only safe highway leading to
Maiduguri.
“Our current count is 15 dead,” Chadian
police spokesman, Paul Manga, said. The
total includes the suicide bomber – a man
dressed in a woman’s burqa.
Chad authorities banned the head-to-toe
religious garment last month, citing the risk
that attackers could use it as a disguise or
hide explosives underneath.
The bomber attempted to enter the market,
then detonated his bomb when military police
tried to stop him, Manga said.
In another development, as a proactive
measure to guard against a likely attack by
the Boko Haram sect, the Cameroonian
immigration authorities have deported about
450 Nigerians living illegally in the country.
Those affected were picked up from
Kousseri, a border town between Cameroon
and Chad, where they had initially been sent
packing by the authorities in that country.
They were handed to government officials in
Mubi, Adamawa State, North-Eastern
Nigeria, according to Africa Review, a
Kenyan digital news platform.
A Cameroonian official, Mr. Albert
Mekondané Obounou, said those affected,
“are foreign nationals without valid
documents.”
A security source, who asked not to be
named, revealed that the move was also part
of an agreement reached by countries
leading the fight against the insurgents in the
sub-region.
“We decided to send home all foreigners
without valid papers. Other countries of the
sub-region involved in the fight against Boko
Haram had advocated this solution to truly
fight against the terrorists who infiltrate
people,” the source said.
Nationals of other countries affected in the
latest crackdown include Chad and Mali.
Cameroon said it was only the beginning of a
hunt on undocumented foreigners in the
country.
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