Chadian troops drove out Boko Haram
militants from the town of Dikwa in Nigeria,
an army spokesman said on Monday, losing
one soldier in the battle.
“We have total control of the town,” said
Colonel Azem Bermandoua. He added that
many Boko Haram fighters had also been
killed in the clashes on Monday in
northeastern Nigeria, the Islamist group’s
stronghold.
A Reuters reporter on the scene said black and
white Boko Haram flags still flew in a town
deserted of residents after several weeks of
occupation.
The recapture of Dikwa coincided with the
release of a video by the terror group
purporting to show it beheading two men, its
first online posting using advanced graphics
and editing techniques reminiscent of footage
from the Islamic State (IS).
The film, released on Monday, showed
militants standing behind the two men who
were on their knees, their hands tied behind
their backs, with one man standing over them,
holding a knife.
One of the men was made to tell the camera
that they had been paid by authorities to spy
on the militant group, before the film moved
to another scene showing their decapitated
bodies. It was not possible to confirm the
film’s authenticity or date, reported Reuters.
The footage will stoke concerns that Boko
Haram, which evolved out of a clerical
movement focused on northeast Nigeria, is
expanding its scope and seeking inspiration
from global militant networks including al
Qaeda and IS.
The terrorists who have killed thousands and
kidnapped hundreds in their bid to carve out
an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria, have
in recent months stepped up cross-border
raids into Cameroun, Chad and Niger.
President Goodluck Jonathan had said Boko
Haram is allied to both al Qaeda and its
offshoot IS, though that has not been
confirmed by the group itself.
The Boko Haram film’s use of graphics, the
footage of black-clad militants with a black
flag, and the editing to show only the
aftermath of the beheading, were particularly
reminiscent of footage from IS, which has
seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and killed
several hostages.
In the film, one of the men said he was from
Baga in Borno State, and the other said he was
from Michika in Adamawa State, both areas
recently recaptured from Boko Haram by
Nigerian troops.
Past Boko Haram films have been much cruder
affairs, often featuring a man identified as
leader Abubakar Shekau talking more about
local gripes than global jihad. A number of
recent releases have included much more
gruesome footage of beheadings
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