Nigerian terrorist group pledges loyalty to
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi soon after series of
bombings kill 54 people.
The leader of Boko Haram has pledged
allegiance to the Islamic State in an
audio message disseminated on social
media on Saturday.
The unverified message was posted on the
Nigeria-based Islamist terror group’s Twitter
page and appeared to be a recording by the
African Islamist group’s leader Abubakar
Shekau.
“We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of
the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al-
Husseini al-Qurashi,” said the voice on the
message, which was believed to be that of
Shekau and was released through Boko Haram’s
Twitter account.
Qurashi is better known as Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi, leader of the IS group which has
proclaimed a caliphate in parts of Syria and
Iraq.
If confirmed, Boko Haram’s swearing of
allegiance to the Islamic State would be the
latest in a series of groups joining forces with
the Islamist group operating in Iraq and Syria.
Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a terror organization in
the Sinai Peninsula, and Ansar al-Sharia, a
Libyan rebel group, have both said to swear
fealty to the Islamic State in recent months.
The announcement came hours after a string of
deadly bombings in Nigeria that bore the
hallmarks of Boko Haram terrorist attacks. Four
suicide bomb attacks Saturday hit the city of
Maiduguri killing at least 54 people and
wounding 143 in the heartland of Nigeria’s
northeastern Islamic uprising, police said.
The blasts occurred over four hours in locations
from a busy fish market to a crowded bus
station, said Police Commissioner Clement
Adoda.
A fifth explosion from a car bomb at a military
checkpoint 75 kilometers (50 miles) outside the
city wounded a soldier and two members of a
civilian self-defense unit. The bomber
apparently wanted to reach Maiduguri, said a
police officer at the scene who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he is not
allowed to speak to the press.
In the deadliest blast, 18 people died when a
suicide bomber blew himself up in a tricycle taxi
at the entrance to the bustling Baga fish
market, police said.
“I saw many dead bodies lying on the ground,
many dead, and several others badly injured,”
said fish seller Idi Idrisa.
About an hour later a second explosion rocked
the Post Office shopping area near the market,
according to witness Baban Musa, who said
there were many casualties.
A third blast was detonated at Monday Market,
the biggest in Maiduguri, and a fourth explosion
ripped through the Borno Express bus station.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for
the attacks but they bear the hallmarks of the
Boko Haram Islamic extremist group. Maiduguri
is the birthplace of Boko Haram and the
extremists have tried to seize the city with
armed assaults by hundreds of fighters and
have made it the target for many bombings
since they were driven from their base there
after a military state of emergency was
declared in May 2013.
posted from Bloggeroid
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