US warns of links between Islamic State, Boko Haram

AP/Daily Mail, US warns of links between Islamic State, Boko Haram, 20 Apr 2016 "At "Ground Zero" in Africa's counterterrorism fight, senior U.S. officials warned of deepening links between the Islamic State and Boko Haram and prodded Chad's ruling strongman to introduce reforms for the sake of long-term stability."

Boko Haram

Guardian, Join us or die: the birth of Boko Haram, 4 Feb 2016 extracts from Andrew Walker�s new book, Eat the Heart of the Infidel (Hurst).

DABIQ: Islamic State could transport Nuke from Nigeria into U.S. through Mexico

ISIS op-ed "claims it could transport a nuclear device in the same way illicit drugs are smuggled into Europe through West Africa, adding that Boko Haram�s presence in Nigeria could facilitate the transaction."

by Edwin Mora, Breitbart News, June 3, 2015

The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), in the latest edition of its propaganda magazine, indicated that it could purchase a nuclear weapon in Pakistan, take it to Nigeria, and then smuggle it into the U.S. through Mexico by using existing trafficking networks in Latin America.

In an op-ed article published in the ninth edition of ISIS� Dabiq magazine released in late May, the jihadist group claims it could transport a nuclear device in the same way illicit drugs are smuggled into Europe through West Africa, adding that Boko Haram�s presence in Nigeria could facilitate the transaction.

The Nigeria-based Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, pledged allegiance to ISIS in March.

In March, Gen. John Kelly, commander of U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), warned that Islamic terrorist groups such as ISIS could exploit the capabilities and knowledge of Latin American smuggling networks to infiltrate the U.S. through Mexico and possibly bring in weapons of mass destruction.

The general, in October 2014, acknowledged that illegal drugs from South America move �through West Africa, up the Maghreb and into Western Europe,� adding that ISIS enemy al Qaeda and its affiliates take �a lot of money to allow it to flow.�

According to the alleged author of the Dabiq op-ed article, kidnapped British photojournalist John Cantlie, ISIS could smuggle a nuke into the U.S. by using the same route and reversing the flow� moving the nuke from West Africa into South America, from where it could be transported into the United States through Mexico.

�Let me throw a hypothetical operation onto the table,� Cantlie wrote in the article entitled �The Perfect Storm.� �The Islamic State has billions of dollars in the bank, so they call on their wilayah [province] in Pakistan to purchase a nuclear device through weapons dealers with links to corrupt officials in the region.� He addded:

The weapon is then transported over land until it makes it to Libya, where the mujahidin [fighters] move it south to Nigeria. Drug shipments from Columbia bound for Europe pass through West Africa, so moving other types of contraband from East to West is just as possible.The nuke and accompanying mujahidin arrive on the shorelines of South America and are transported through the porous borders of Central America before arriving in Mexico and up to the border with the United States.

�From there it�s just a quick hop through a smuggling tunnel and hey presto, they�re mingling with another 12 million �illegal� aliens in America with a nuclear bomb in the trunk of their car,� he also wrote.

If not a nuke, ISIS could easily smuggle in �a few thousand tons of ammonium nitrate explosive� that is easy to manufacture, said the article.

Cantlie wrote that ISIS, which started as a movement in Iraq, has suddenly morphed into a global phenomenon that the West and the democratic world as a whole is ill-prepared to handle.

He said that Boko Haram controls most of Nigeria, home to �an exhausted and smashed national army that is now in a virtual state of collapse�.

While testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March, Gen. Kelly noted, �Last year, ISIS adherents posted discussions on social media calling for the infiltration of the U.S. southern border. Thankfully, we have not yet seen evidence of this occurring, but I am deeply concerned that smuggling networks are a vulnerability that terrorists could seek to exploit.�

�While there is not yet any indication that the criminal networks involved in human and drug trafficking are interested in supporting the efforts of terrorist groups, these networks could unwittingly, or even wittingly, facilitate the movement of terrorist operatives or weapons of mass destruction toward our borders, potentially undetected and almost completely unrestricted,� he added.

The general, speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. in October 2014, warned that Latin American drug cartels were working with jihadist groups in West Africa, namely Sunni group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its affiliates.

Islamic State in Nigeria Targets Catholics: 100,000 Homeless, 5,000 Killed

• 350 Catholic churches destroyed in one diocese alone,
• More than half the diocese's institutions deserted,
• Boko Haram controls 85% of the territory,
• Boko Haram recently pledged its allegiance to the Islamic State Caliphate, and re-named itself 'Islamic State in Nigeria'.

Boko Haram Targets Catholics: 100,000 Homeless From Islamist Insurgency, Christian Charity Says

by Morgan Winsor, International Business Times � May 12, 2015

h/t Jihad Watch

More than 100,000 Nigerian Catholics have been left homeless by Boko Haram�s six-year insurgency in northeast Nigeria and another 5,000 have been killed, a Christian charity said Tuesday. As a result, there are now 7,000 widows and 10,000 orphans in the Maiduguri diocese, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) told Premier.

A report by the charity also found some 350 churches have been destroyed in the diocese, which encompasses Borno and Yobo states as well as part of Adamawa. More than half of the Maiduguri diocese�s parish centers, chaplaincies and church-run primary schools have been deserted by Nigerian Catholics and many of them are occupied by Boko Haram militants, who control up to 85 percent of the diocese territory.

�People are very scared, and those who are able to return home find there is nothing left,� Rev. Father Gideon Obasogie, the diocesan director of social communications, told ACN, according to Catholic Herald. �A life lived with much fear is terrible.��

Boko Haram has sworn loyalty to the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL. ISIS officially accepted its pledge in March, making Boko Haram the largest and most lethal jihadi group to be inducted into the Islamic State group�s network. The militants seek the establishment of a state in northeast Nigeria based on strict Islamic law.

Nigeria rescues almost 300 female Boko Haram captives, none Chibok girls

"Since 2015, the terrorist group has kidnapped over 2,000 females. These women are raped, forced into marriages, or sold as sex slaves... Witnesses claimed Boko Haram terrorists forced abducted women to marry members of the jihadist group only to later slaughter them before a battle..."

by Mary Chastain, Breitbart News � April 28, 2015

The Nigerian army announced on Tuesday that they had rescued over 200 girls and 93 women from Boko Haram camps in the Sambisa Forest. None of the young girls, though, have been identified as among the hundreds the radical Islamic group kidnapped in April 2014 in Chibok.

The kidnapping inspired the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Many celebrities, including First Lady Michelle Obama, posted pictures on Twitter of themselves holding a placard with the hashtag on it. The fad lost its prominent place in the news over time, and the girls became a passing thought in many minds, even though hundreds of girls are still missing.

In the past year, numerous people told media outlets they believed they had seen the Chibok girls. One woman captured by Boko Haram claimed to the BBC that the girls �were treated differently � their food [was] better and water clean.� The families told Deutsche Welle they still hold out hope authorities will rescue their daughters. AFP interviewed some girls who managed to escape Boko Haram.

Since 2015, the terrorist group has kidnapped over 2,000 females. These women are raped, forced into marriages, or sold as sex slaves. As the army rescues people from the grips of Boko Haram, more stories emerge of the brutal treatment suffered under the group. Witnesses in Nigeria claimed Boko Haram terrorists forced abducted women to marry members of the jihadist group only to later slaughter them before a battle, lest they remarry Nigerian troops or �non-believers.� A few men chose to flee with their wives instead of resorting to murder.

Boko Haram was established in Nigeria five years ago and have killed over 13,000 people as they attempt to build their own Islamic caliphate. Their time might be running out as the army advances into their territory. The army reported Boko Haram is quickly running out of weapons and ammunition.

�The Boko Haram terrorists have run out of arms and ammunitions as the military intensify attacks on Sambisa Forest,� explained one resident in Tabe village of Damboa. �You can find more than 500 members of the insurgents, with only a few of them having rifles and even when one or two of them have rifles, it is like a stick, as they have run out of ammunitions, because the usual supplies they get are not forthcoming.�

Boko Haram Re-Brands as Islamic State in West Africa

"As Boko Haram (now Islamic State in West Africa) is forced to shift tactics, Boko Haram�s pledge to IS will pay off."

By Nicholas Hanlon, Center for Security Policy
April 23, 2015

There is a lot of relatively good news on the progress of the Nigerian army in it�s efforts to defeat Boko Haram.  Here is where all of the nit-picking about the differences between IS and Boko Haram will mean even less.  

Boko Haram was lionized for it�s ability to take and hold territory.  However, because of it�s primary driver as an internationally connected Islamist group that is ideologically driven, it will adapt to a new menu of tactics that resemble Al Shabaab.  This is where the relationship beetween IS and Boko Haram becomes significant.

The signal is the re-brand as Islamic State in West Africa.  Analysts were hard pressed to see the tactical advantages that the allegiance between IS and Boko Haram could afford the West African jihadist movement in Nigeria.  The counter terrorism battle space in Nigeria will mutate as former Boko Haram fighters disperse and attempt to blend back in to the population.  The question of whether al Shabaab will also pledge allegiance to IS will arise with more frequency in the coming months.

As Boko Haram (now Islamic State in West Africa) is forced to shift tactics, Boko Haram�s pledge to IS will pay off.  

When al Shabaab held territory they resembled Boko Haram.  When they control territory they raise money like a state.  When they are defeated militarily they operate like a terror group.  The make up and the mission of these groups do not change.  They all want to hold territory.  That factor does change.  When it does, each jihadist group adapts.

Boko Haram Beheads 23 People in Kano, Nigeria - Time for an 'Open, Honest Discussion about Islam'?

David Wood over at AnsweringMuslims asks what seems to be the most obvious first question about this latest Muslim atrocity:

"How many more people have to be beheaded before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?"

We might adapt this question for any number of Islamic phenomena:

• How many more thousands of Christians have to be persecuted, killed or displaced by Muslims before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more thousands of Muslims have to leave the West to join ISIS before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more Muslim jihadi groups (such as Boko Haram) have to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State Caliphate (ISIS) before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more Muslims in the West have to be convicted of jihad terrorist activities, plots and funding before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more girls and women have to be abducted by Muslims before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more churches have to be destroyed by Muslims before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

• How many more Muslim jihadists have to justify their acts of violent extremism using specific citations from the Quran, the hadiths and the Sira (Life of Muhammad) before we can have an open, honest discussion about Islam?

Boko Haram Beheads 23 People in Kano, Nigeria

h/t David Wood at AnsweringMuslims, April 1, 2015

Kano, Nigeria (CNN)�Suspected Boko Haram gunmen decapitated 23 people in a raid on Buratai village in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, residents and a politician said Saturday. 

Scores of attackers invaded the village at 11 p.m. Friday when residents were mostly asleep and set homes on fire, hacking residents who tried to flee. 

"?The gunmen slaughtered their 23 victims like rams and decapitated them. They injured several people," said Ibrahim Adamu, a local politician who fled. 

"They burned a large part of the village and we are afraid some residents were burnt in the homes because most people had gone to bed when the gunmen struck," said Adamu, a ward councilor in the village. 

A paramedic ?at a government hospital in the nearby town of Biu said 32 people from Buratai were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds and burns. 

"The injured victims said a lot of people were beheaded by the attackers," the paramedic said. (Continue Reading.)

Dozens of churches burned in Niger by Muslim group

94% of the population in Niger practice Islam. Orthodoxy does not seem to have any significant presence, although the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Archdiocese of Lagos, has jurisdiction over Nigeria, Niger, Benin and Togo.

The Alabama Baptist, March 12, 2015 (h/t Religion of Peace)

Church in Jos, Nigeria, destroyed by Boko Haram.

NIAMEY, Niger � At least 68 churches, two of which were Baptist, have been burned in the West African country of Niger.

Panlieba Tchalieni, president of the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Niger, reported that the church burnings, carried out by Muslim extremist group Boko Haram, occurred in the Zinder region and Niamey.

�In terms of Baptist churches in Niger, we have two churches that are burned: the first evangelical church in Niger built in 1928 and another behind the Niger River built 15 years ago,� Tchalieni said.

Boko Haram, a Nigerian-based radical jihadist group that seeks to establish Sharia law, has extended its activities to other countries in West Africa, including Niger, where it has carried out recent attacks in the southeast.

Thousands of civilians fled their homes in the southeastern Niger town of Diffa. The area was already under stress, providing refuge to some 150,000 people who crossed the border to escape the violence in northern Nigeria.

Niger, which shares much of its southern border with Nigeria, declared a 15-day state of emergency in Diffa after a series of attacks by Boko Haram.

Kojo Amo of Ghana, chairman of the western region of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship, appealed for prayer and support for the Christian church in Niger. �Please let us remember Christians in Niger in our prayers that the Lord will strengthen them in the faith during this difficult time.�

(BWA)

Persecution of Christians a Significant Indicator of Future World Chaos

"With nearly twice the number of Christians persecuted over the previous year, it�s clear why Christians should be very concerned."

by David Curry, President of Open Doors USA
FoxNews.com,  February 9, 2015

Click through for Open Doors 2015 World Watch List full report & map.

Boko Haram continues its march toward making Nigeria an Islamic state. A few weeks ago, as the world focused on the terror attacks in Paris, the group continued its murderous rampage across the northern part of the country. Last weekend it killed dozens in Maiduguri. These are just the latest atrocities from Boko Haram, which has kidnapped hundreds of schoolchildren, murdered thousands of innocent men, women and children and driven hundreds of thousands more from their homes.

Unfortunately, all indicators point to the likelihood that the worst is yet to come.

Last month, Open Doors released its 2015 World Watch List, an annual survey of the most dangerous and difficult places in the world to be a Christian. This year�s report uncovered some startling and worrisome trends. In every region of the world � Africa, Asia and even in the Americas � persecution of Christians is growing. There was not one country on the 2015 list that decreased its acts of violence and persecution from the previous year. The escalation of violence over the past year was so great that the threshold used to create the list had to be increased. With nearly twice the number of Christians persecuted over the previous year, it�s clear why Christians should be very concerned.

What may not be as clear is why everyone else should care.

What all Americans must understand is this: Ending the persecution of Christians is not just morally right; it is in our national interest. When we promote and defend freedom of religious expression throughout the world we are making the world safer for oppressed peoples, we are promoting a value that keeps extremism of any kind in check.

As Christians are expelled, Islamist extremists are taking their place.

After 13 years of creating the World Watch List in its modern form, Open Doors has observed that the persecution of Christians is a lead harbinger for discord in the wider society. If history teaches us anything, it is to pay attention to the signs that warn of geopolitical upheaval; in particular, the restriction of religious minority groups.  When religious minorities are first marginalized within a society, then targeted for attacks without notice from the free societies around the world, a purge is the next logical step in the mind of extremists.

For example, more than a decade ago, Christians in Iraq worshipped in relative peace. Even under the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, they faced no greater threat to their freedom than the general population of Iraq. But now Iraq ranks third on the World Watch List as one of the most brutal places for expression of the Christian faith.

In 2003, Open Doors began to take notice of a sharp increase in acts of violence against Christians and their places of worship in Iraq. Open Doors� warnings to beware extremist groups forming in the North fell on deaf ears, and violence grew year after year. The Iraqi government was unwilling or unable to act, and the wider free world did little to help.

Since then, Iraq has steadily climbed on the World Watch List, and the number of Christians there has dropped dramatically. In 2003, there were approximately 1 million professing Christians in Iraq living side-by-side with their Muslim neighbors in relative peace. Open Doors estimated that in 2014, before the ISIS attacks, there were only 300,000 Christians left in Iraq, many of whom were living as internally displaced persons in the northern part of the country. That�s a loss of more than two-thirds of the Iraqi Christian community.

Responsible lawmakers and those concerned with the security of all free people should be asking themselves what is filling the void left by the dramatic decline of the Christian community. The answer is obvious: As Christians are expelled, Islamist extremists are taking their place.

It is time for the international community to pay careful attention to what happened in Iraq, because this scenario seems to be playing itself out again in Nigeria. The Western world cannot afford to continue to drag its feet.

Boko Haram, an Islamic terrorist group, has been turning up the heat on Christians in northern Nigeria for several years. Last year, at least 2,484 Nigerian Christians were executed or killed for their faith, the highest total of any of the countries on the World Watch List.

In January, I warned that Boko Haram might be duplicating the tactics and strategies of the Islamic State. Little did I know that, at that very moment, Boko Haram was slaughtering many Christians, along with people of other faiths, in the village of Baga. According to some reports, as many as 2,000 people were killed in what many agencies are calling �Boko Haram�s deadliest act.� Now Boko Haram is expanding its attacks into neighboring countries. If the past is any indicator, it will try to take over all regions of Nigeria as well as Cameroon, Niger and Chad. Unfortunately, the Nigerian government and the rest of the world are doing little to stop the assault on religious liberty.

An immediate concern for the region is the Nigerian presidential election, slated to take place on Feb. 14. The next week could bring even more attacks as Boko Haram seeks to further destabilize the nation.

Iraq and Nigeria are but two examples of how the persecution of Christians indicates a society that is about to tip into chaos. The world would do well to pay attention before it�s too late.

David Curry is the President of Open Doors USA. For nearly 60 years, Open Doors has worked in the world's most oppressive countries, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. Each year, Open Doors releases its World Watch List, a ranking of the 50 countries where Christian persecution is worst.

Persecution Crisis: Christians in the West Need to Intervene Now

You can help Christians in Iraq, Syria and throughout the Middle East by supporting International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC).

Christian Post via ICC � July 5, 2014

ICC Note: ISIS, a radical militant group in Iraq, has quickly spread chaos throughout the country. Recently, the group declared Iraq an Islamic State and imposed Sharia law. In turn, this has caused Christians to flee their homes to find safer communities. Many are fearing that Islamic radicalism is continuously threatening the survival of the Christian population throughout the entire region.  07/02/14 Middle East (Christian Post) - In less than two weeks Iraq went from a semi-functioning democracy to a land divided into regional factions ruled in many areas by the extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is imposing Sharia law after driving Christians out of Mosul and other cities in Iraq. Syria lies in tatters as Islamic extremist groups battle for control of the country which has been engaged in a horrendous civil war for over three years. Each day creates more refugees. The largest group is Syrian Christians, who are being pushed out of their homeland. Heading to Africa, you can see the battle for Nigeria, where Boko Haram kidnaps Christian girls daring to be educated. More girls were reportedly kidnapped last week, which adds to the approximately 200 that have been missing since March. Of course, Boko Haram has been attacking churches and Christian villages, as well as other targets, at record rates this year. Kenya, too, has a jihadist group called al-Shabaab which is bringing violence and heartbreak to the Christian population and the country at large. What do all the Christians in these countries have in common? Well, certainly all are affected by the violence and threats by the various terrorist groups. Al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram and ISIS all have similar doctrine and similar funding. In many cases, one group springs forth from another. All have a goal to spread Sharia law, imposing their Muslim faith by force. That means coercing Christians to deny their faith, leave their homes or face death. Many times followers of Jesus are not given the choice; they are just killed. This is a creed all Muslim terrorist groups have in common. However, it is not just doctrine, tactics and money that connect all these situations. The most powerful part of this deadly stew is the affect of withdrawal�not the withdrawal of American troops, but the abandonment from the Middle East by many from the western Christian church. � [Full Story]

OCN Interviews on Boko Haram, Meriam Ibrahim, and ISIS

Fr Chris Metropulos and I cover some of the most urgent news of Orthodoxy and Islam, the Global Jihad, and Muslim Persecution of Christians:

1. Orthodoxy and Islam: Boko Haram
By Fr. Chris Metropulos in OCN Now Radio � Islamic militant group Boko Haram has kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian girls, killed masses of civilians, and called for Muslims around the world to �kill, kill, kill.� Ralph Sidway updates us on the group�s atrocities, discusses how it relates to other Islamic terrorist groups, and asks how they are receiving funding to continue.
Play in Browser.

2. Orthodoxy and Islam: Meriam Ibrahim
By Fr. Chris Metropulos in OCN Now Radio � Join Ralph Sidway and Fr. Chris as they discuss Meriam Ibrahim � the Sudanese Christian woman who was condemned to be lashed 100 times and then executed. Hear about the developments in her situation, the danger she faces from honor killings, and what her story can teach us.
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3. Orthodoxy and Islam: ISIS
By Fr. Chris Metropulos in OCN Now Radio � ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) has declared its plan to take over large territories in the Middle East. Ralph Sidway offers a crash course on this Islamic terrorist group. Who are they? How has the group developed? Who are they targeting and is the US in danger?
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276 Enslaved Nigerian Girls: The atrocity of Boko Haram

You repulsive vomitous excuse of a man.
Human beings are not for sale.   The girls belong to their own selves, belong to their own families and communities.   You are nothing short of a thief.

This is a bastardization of Islam, of decency, of liberation, of all that is good and beautiful.

We are dealing with people�s children here.  If we were dealing with property, it would be akin to someone breaking into another person�s home, stealing their property, and then stating that they are willing to sell the stolen material.

Except that we are not dealing with property.  We are talking about human beings.

- See more at: http://omidsafi.religionnews.com/2014/05/05/276-enslaved-nigerian-girls-atrocity-boko-haram/#sthash.aNBk7UBy.dpuf