ISIL names new Boko Haram chief
August 5, 2016, 1:10 pm

Nigerian forces, backed by other West African military units, have seized territory from Boko Haram in the northeast of the country [Xinhua]

Anti-terrorism experts now believe that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has increased its influence over the Nigerian islamist extremist group Boko Haram.

According to publications put out by ISIL, the group assigned a new leader to take control of Boko Haram more than a year after the latter declared its allegiance to the Iraq and Syria based group.

Sheikh Abo Mossab Al Bornawi was selected to replace Abu Bakar Shekau.

Like ISIL, Boko Haram has in the past year lost territory in the face of a pan-African force including Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin.

Boko Haram is based in the northeastern state of Borno in Nigeria. But in recent years it has carried out cross-border incursions in neighboring Cameroon, Mali, and Niger with deadly effect.

Boko Haram, which controls large swathes of northeastern Nigeria, has come under repeated attacks from the Nigerian, Chadian and Cameroonian armies in recent weeks.

Although African nations have launched a combined military effort, sanctioned by the African Union and supported in part by Washington and London, to destroy the militant group, it has not lost its capability to launch suicide and car bomb attacks or kidnap women and children for leverage.

It has maintained its scorched-earth policy and modus operandi with deadly effect launching suicide bombings that have killed thousands in the past year.

The US, which has increased its training and delivery of military assistance to Nigeria and its West African allies, in April warned that Boko Haram and ISIL had increased collaboration in recent months.

US officials say they have evidence that ISIL fighters in Libya have been dispatching arms and ammunition truck convoys to the Lake Chad area where Boko Haram has been active.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies