A senior United States of America military General wednesday said the Boko Haram terror group had been fractured internally.
Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser,
the nominee to lead the US military Africa Command (AFRICOM), disclosed
this in Washington during his nomination hearing before the Senate Armed
Services Committee.
Waldhauser said the problem in the group
resulted from some members splitting from shadowy leader, Abubakar
Shekau, over his failure to adhere to guidance from the Iraq and
Syria-based Islamic State.
According to Reuters/NAN, Waldhauser
said the internal division was illustrative of the limits of Islamic
State’s influence over Boko Haram so far, in spite of the West African
group’s pledge of allegiance to it last year.
“Several months ago, about half of Boko Haram broke off to a separate group because they were not happy with the amount of buy-in, if you will, from Boko Haram into the ISIL brand,” he explained.
“Several months ago, about half of Boko Haram broke off to a separate group because they were not happy with the amount of buy-in, if you will, from Boko Haram into the ISIL brand,” he explained.
He, however, said Shekau had not fallen
into line with Islamic State’s instructions, including ignoring calls
for Boko Haram to stop using children as suicide bombers.
Waldhauser said: “He’s been told by ISIL
to stop doing that, but he has not done so, and that’s one of the
reasons why this splinter group has broken off.
“But the Islamic State was trying to reconcile those two groups.”
The military chief said there was no evidence that Boko Haram had so far received significant operational support or financing from Islamic State.
The military chief said there was no evidence that Boko Haram had so far received significant operational support or financing from Islamic State.
He said the assessment suggested that Boko Haram’s loyalty pledge had so far, mostly been a branding exercise.
Waldhauser acknowledged differing opinions about how much influence Islamic State actually had over Boko Haram, which won global infamy for its 2014 kidnapping of 276 Chibok schoolgirls.
Waldhauser acknowledged differing opinions about how much influence Islamic State actually had over Boko Haram, which won global infamy for its 2014 kidnapping of 276 Chibok schoolgirls.
He said: “They certainly have not given them a lot of financial assistance.
“So the point could be that it is perhaps in improvement in tradecraft, in training and the like.”
Waldauser stated that Shekau’s local focus and voiced concern was about whether a splinter group may act more in concert with Islamic State’s trans-regional ambitions.
Waldauser stated that Shekau’s local focus and voiced concern was about whether a splinter group may act more in concert with Islamic State’s trans-regional ambitions.
“What concerns me is the break-off group
of Boko Haram, which wants to be more ISIL-like, and consequently buy
into the ISIL-brand of attacking western interests,” he said.
Meanwhile, an army officer in Niger
Republic said that a multinational force had begun operations against
Boko Haram along the border between the country and Nigeria.
Brigadier General Abdou Sidikou-Issa,
the Tactical Chief of Staff for troops based in Niger’s southern zone of
Diffa, yesterday in Niamey said troops from Chad and Nigeria were
involved in the operation.
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