First message from the new leader of Boko Haram… What did he say?
The Boko Haram terrorist group has confirmed the death of its historical leader Abubakar Shekau, who several sources said was killed in a battle with the Islamic State in West Africa.
Boko Haram is competing with ISIS in a region where terrorist elements are prevalent.
On Wednesday, in a video, Bakura Modou, the new leader of Boko Haram, addressed his fighters : “Give lessons to the infidels on the battlefields so that they may know that the Imam, may God have mercy on him, was one of the masters of the martyrs, leaving behind him not girls but men”.
During the recording obtained by AFP from a source close to Boko Haram, another local source confirmed that Modo had launched an attack on ISIS leader in West Africa Abu Musab al-Barnawi, “this misguided idiot”.
Boko Haram’s confirmation of its leader’s death comes 10 days after ISIS’s West African leader, Abou Mosab al-Barnaoui, said in an audio recording that the complaint had committed suicide by blowing himself up so as not to fall into the group’s captivity.
Al-Barnaoui said he had sent gunmen to the Boko Haram enclave in the Sambisa Forest, found the “complaint” and engaged him with firearms before committing suicide for fear of falling into their hands.
The 2016 Boko Haram terrorist group was split in two, with the historic faction led by Abubakar Shekau controlling the area around the Sambisa Forest.
On the other hand, ISIS in West Africa has come to dominate in northeast Nigeria, where it has launched large-scale attacks on the Nigerian military.
Last month, the Nigerian military said it was investigating the alleged death of the complaint reported by Nigerian and foreign media. The audio statement, first obtained by local media, is the first confirmation by ISIS in West Africa of the death of its arch-rival in the Lake Tchad area.
“Over the past 12 years, the leader of Boko Haram has been reported killed on several occasions, including announcements from the military, but he was later shown in a video”.
In the audio recording, the man known as al-Barnaoui said his fighters sought the warlord on orders from the organization’s leadership and clashed with Boko Haram fighters until the complaint fled.
He said the group had chased him until it surrounded him and offered him the opportunity to repent and join it.
He pointed out : “A complaint would rather be humiliated in the afterlife than be humiliated on the ground. He immediately committed suicide by detonating an improvised explosive device”.
Boko Haram made headlines around the world with the kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014, sparking a global campaign for their return, backed by figures including Michelle Obama, wife of former US President Barack Obama.
