video released by the sect and obtained exclusively by AFP. It shows
Boko Haram fighters parading with about three tanks in an unidentified
town they had apparently taken over.
I haven't seen the video but it looks like the guys at PM Newshave.
Below is how they reported it...
It was not possible to tell whether the footage was staged for
propaganda purposes, especially scenes of residents cheering Islamist
fighters. The message appeared to be aimed at reinforcing Shekau's
claim that he has created a caliphate within Nigeria.
In the 44-minute video, Boko Haram voices support for other so-called
caliphates, including the one proclaimed in Iraq and Syria by the
Islamic State (IS) group.
Shekau, who is pictured in close-up shots with rare clarity, again
dismisses government claims about ceasefire talks and threatens to
kill the man who has presented himself as Boko Haram's negotiator.
The video, which was delivered through the same channels as past
messages, shows armed men lined along a well-paved road, with three
pick-up trucks equipped with heavy weapons also visible.
Black, crested flags associated with the Islamist group are also shown.
Later, an armoured vehicle is driven down the road lined with both
fighters and individuals who appear to be residents of the town.
Boko Haram has released a series of videos showing similar military
hardware, equipment it says was stolen from the Nigerian military.
Such claims have been impossible to verify.
No women or girls are seen on the street or anywhere else in the footage.
Most of the message is taken up by a sermon from Shekau, delivered
indoors but apparently played on a speaker to locals assembled
outside.
"We have indeed established an Islamic caliphate," he said, restating
a call he first made in August.
The images of the sermon include unusually clear close-ups of Shekau,
who in past videos has often been shown at a distance, sometimes in
grainy footage.
– 'Support for Islamic brethren' –
Shekau has previously expressed solidarity with other jihadi groups
and leaders, including the IS militants.
In the latest video, he seemed to associate territory under his
control with a wider, global caliphate, but did not submit to the
authority of any other jihadi leader.
To everyone living in Islamic Caliphate, we convey our greetings," he
said, specifically mentioning "brethren" in Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Azerbaijan, Shishan (an Islamist term for Chechnya), Yemen, Somalia
and "the Caliphate in Iraq and Syria."
A graphic shown later includes a picture the IS group's leader Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi as well as a portion of the message his group issued
on July 1 proclaiming a caliphate in Iraq and Syria.Source: PM News
God help Nigeria
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