Thursday 12 December 2013
BOKO HARAM LEADER THREATENED AMERICA GOVERNMENT, "YOU ARE NEXT"
You
couldn’t crush us when we were carrying sticks,” he said, adding: “By Allah, we
will never stop. Don’t think we will stop in Maiduguri.
“Tomorrow
you will see us in America itself. Our operation is not confined to Nigeria. It
is for the whole world.”
Shekau’s
claims about the international nature of Boko Haram stand at odds with
analysts’ general assessments that the group is largely Nigeria-based.
But
the United States has said the group and Ansaru have links the wider Islamist
jihadi network, in particular Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which has
provided limited training and funding.
The US
State Department in July offered a reward of up to $7 million for information
leading to the arrest of Shekau.
The
group leader also added that they were behind a daring raid on military
installations in Maiduguri earlier this month.
“Allah
the Almighty has given us victory in the attack we launched inside Maiduguri
(which was) called Borno in ancient times,” said Abubakar Shekau in a 40-minute
clip.
Speaking
in Arabic, Hausa and Kanuri, Shekau added: “We stormed the city and fought them
(and) Allah blessed us with lots of booty.”
The
video, which was obtained through an intermediary, shows Shekau dressed in
military fatigues with a turban and Kalashnikov assault rifle leaning on his
chest.
He
speaks for 19 minutes in all while the rest of the tape shows images of burning
buildings and aircraft said to be from the December 2 attack in Maiduguri,
which is capital of Borno state.
It
also shows a display of weapons the banned Islamist group says it seized in the
attack, including dozens of Kalashnikovs and rockets.
The
authenticity of the tape could not be verified independently.
Gunmen
who arrived on pick-up trucks besieged an army and air force base, destroying
aircraft, razing buildings and setting shops and petrol stations ablaze,
witnesses said.
The
early morning raid was seen as significant because the Nigerian military had
previously claimed to have pushed the militants out of urban centres and into
more remote, rural areas.
Local
people reported that the attackers were carrying AK-47 assault rifles and
rocket propelled grenades in the assault, which prompted the local authorities
to impose a city-wide curfew.
In the
Maiduguri raid, Nigeria’s military said 24 militants were killed and two
service personnel were wounded.
But
Shekau said only seven fighters lost their lives — three in suicide bombings,
three were shot and one in “friendly fire”.
At
least two local residents were also killed, people in the city said.
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