Islamic militia in Nigeria ‘beheads Christian hostages’
Islamic militia in Nigeria ‘beheads Christian hostages’
Claiming vengeance over the killing of their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a US raid in Syria in October, Islamic State group has released a video claiming to show the killing of 11 Christians in Nigeria.
The 56-second video was produced by the IS “news agency” Amaq. IS said it was part of its recently declared campaign to “avenge” the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during a US raid in Syria in October.
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No details were given about the victims, who were all male, but IS says they were “captured in the past weeks” in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State.
It was released on 26 December and analysts say it was clearly timed to coincide with Christmas celebrations.
One faction of Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram broke away in 2016 and now fights under the banner of Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap)
Earlier this month, the group said it had killed four aid workers it had abducted in north-eastern Nigeria.
Last year, Iswap killed two midwives it had previously taken hostage.
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the apparent killings and urged Nigerians not to let themselves be divided along religious lines.
“We should, under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning Christians against Muslims because these barbaric killers don’t represent Islam and millions of other law-abiding Muslims around the world,” he said in a statement.
He did not mention the identity of the victims.
The aid agencies whose staff are being held by the “Islamic State West Africa Province” (Iswap) have not yet commented.
The footage was filmed in an unidentified outdoor area.
One captive in the middle is shot dead while the other 10 are pushed to the ground and beheaded.
“We killed them as revenge for the killing of our leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and [IS spokesman] Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir,” said a member of the group’s media unit, according to Ahmad Salkida, a journalist who was first sent the video.
Iswap is also active in neighbouring countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Mali.