Boko Haram, the al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that controls large areas in northern Nigeria, released a video showing Abubakar Shekau, the group’s emir. In the video (an excerpt from AFP is above), Shekau mocks recent claims by Nigerian officials of his death. Shekau is shown firing a machinegun from the back of a technical, or armed pickup truck, as well as speaking while standing in front of several technicals.
The Nigerian military and officials have claimed that Shekau uses one or more “impersonators” for Shekau, and that Shekau’s latest doppleganger was killed during recent fighting in Konduga. [See Threat Matrix report, Nigerian military claims killing of Boko Haram leader’s ‘impersonator’.]
But the Shekau shown in the most recent video seems to be identical to the Shekaus in other videos released in the past.
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2 Comments
I would trust book harams pronouncements more than the Nigerian militaries, much like IS vs the Iraqi military spokesmen.
Boko is the group that our officials want to the public to believe is more akin to a criminal enterprise than the actual branch of Al Qaeda which it is. To hear them question Shekau’s sanity and seriousness is to once again hear a willful, close to criminal, mischaracterization of a growing threat.
That they can shoot down fighters makes airliners a lay-up for them when and if they decide to.
http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/photo-news-nigerian-pilot-of-missing-fighter-jet-reportedly-beheaded-by-boko-haram.94725/