The Nigerian militant group Boko
Haram has pledged official allegiance to ISIS, according to an audio
statement released online Saturday. In the audio, Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau appears to be addressing ISIS leader Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi, and also calls on Muslims throughout the world to declare a
similar loyalty.
The message, posted via a
Boko Haram Twitter account, was confirmed by Flashpoint Intelligence, a
global security firm and NBC News consultant. According to Flashpoint,
the audio confirms what many analysts have said would happen: a bridging
between Boko Haram and ISIS. Boko Haram is also following ISIS's trend
of releasing messages online and mimicking the terror network's
propaganda.
The announcement comes
after five bomb blasts rocked the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on
Saturday, killing at least 54 people and wounding 143 others in Boko
Haram's northeastern heartland.
ISIS — unlike al Qaeda —
hasn't shunned Shekau, accepting his more fiery persona and lack of
Islamic knowledge as Boko Haram wages violence in Nigeria, Flashpoint
said. Shekau in the audio appears to say he is pledging allegiance to
ISIS's caliphate, or state, which spans parts of Syria and Iraq.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates
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