Three months ago, the International Crisis Group argued that Boko Haram had been weakened and “put on the defensive” by a growing and coordinated military response by Nigeria and its neighbors.
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ABUJA-The military said yesterday that several commanders of Islamic sect, Boko Haram, were killed in a major air onslaught last Monday night in Sambisa forest, while leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, was fatally wounded in the shoulders. It seems the girls are still in Shekau’s control, since the militant in the video referred to Boko Haram by its traditional name and claimed to be Shekau’s successor.
Since Boko Haram pledged support to Islamic State previous year, the group appears to have split into two main factions: one led by Mr. Shekau and another-backed by Islamic State-led by Abu Musab al-Barnawi.
It kidnapped 270 schoolgirls in April 2014, some of whom it is believed are being held in Sambisa Forest.
According to the Associated Press, Shekau’s speech highlighted ideological differences with al-Barnawi, who has promised to end the attacks on mosques and Muslim markets that had become a hallmark of Boko Haram.
Shekau and other senior militants had gathered for prayers on Friday when they were hit by what the Nigerian army called an “air force raid”.
The reports of the airstrike came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Nigeria for talks with state officials about the problem of fighting Boko Haram.
Boko Haram began large-scale attacks in northeast Nigeria in 2009.
The military released the statement on Tuesday, although it didn’t specify how it got the information. “We also know that beating Boko Haram on the battlefield is only the beginning of what we must do”, he added. So, is the Nigerian Army saying Shekau is as good as dead, a repeat of the 2013 claim?
The Nigerian military maintains that this current “Abubakar Shekau” is little more than an impostor or a dummy for the long-dead Shekau.
Although it is unclear when the video was shot and if the girls are all from Chibok, experts say its release date is not a coincidence. The conflict has led to the deaths of more than 20,000 people.
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Boko Haram is considered to be one of the deadliest terrorist organizations in the world, on par with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
