Boko Haram’s pledge of allegiance to the Islamic militant group ISIS,has been accepted.
ISIS accepted the pledge in a recorded audio message which is however yet to be verified.
ISIS’ media arm, al-Furqan, released an audio statement by spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani that claimed the group’s self-proclaimed caliphate had expanded to West Africa.
Al Adnani had previously urged fighters from around the world to migrate and join Boko Haram.
The announcement comes as both groups struggled against increased military pressure in recent days.
ISIS is battling against Iraqi forces seeking to recapture Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit, while coming under fire from U.S.-led coalition air strikes in other parts of the country and in Syria.
In the meantime, Boko Haram is under fire from a multinational force which combines the armies of Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. Boko Haram has so far lost ground in towns that have been retaken the army according to military sources. Analysts say there’s no other reason for Boko Haram combining forces with ISIS except for the sole reason of wanting to keep its media activities more alive. It’s new Twitter account, increasingly slick and with more frequent video messages and a new media arm all considered signs that the group is now being helped by ISIS propagandists.
Boko Haram began it’s military campaign to impose Islamist rule in northern Nigeria in 2009.
The conflict has since spread to neighboring states.
