ISIS receives partnership with Boko Haram in battle for ‘caliphate’
The self-proclaimed leader of the Islamic State has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, according to a radio message released on Thursday.
“Our caliph, God save him, has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa,” Islamic State spokesman Abu Mohammad Adnani stated in an audio message. He was referring to self-proclaimed IS leader Abu Bakr Baghdadi.
Adnani also called on others to join the Islamic State, instructing them to join the fight in Syria and Iraq or head to Africa. At the same time, he voiced more threats against Jews and Christians.
Islamists Boko Haram used young girls as suicide bombers in this weekend’s massacre
Boko Haram logo photo/Arnold Platon via wikimedia commons
“If you want to save your blood and money and live in safety from our swords…you have two choices: either convert or pay jezyah,” Andani said, referring to a tax for non-Muslims under Islamic law. “[Otherwise] you will soon bite your fingers with remorse.”
The message attempted to downplay recent military attacks from Iraqi and Kurdish armies and US-led airstrikes.
“The State remains steadfast…and is becoming stronger and continues to be victorious,” Adnani said, adding that the enemies’ alleged gains were “fake.”
“It is a mere taking back of a few villages in a war that is about attack and retreat,” he said.
Nigerian militant group Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, according to reports that cited a separate audio message. Boko Haram leader Abu Bakr Shekau reportedly said the group would “hear and obey” the caliph “in times of difficulty and prosperity.”
Boko Haram has grown from a small terror group to a mini-country with its own territory. It now controls an area the size of Slovakia, totaling about 52,000 square kilometers
