Boko Haram: Shekau Releases New Video! Shows Scenes Of Fleeing Soldiers, Civilian Massacre

                                          Screenshot of Abubakar Shekau in the latest video

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau has released a new video today,
where he showed how innocent civilians were murdered. The video also shows how
soldiers were fleeing from insurgents. Sahara Reporters who got hold of the
video, described it as the most gruesome video ever released by the insurgents
leader. It’s really sad. Here’s how SR reports it.

Abubakar Shekau, the mercurial leader of Nigeria’s Islamist
group, Boko Haram, today released a video in which he declares the areas under
his sect’s control a Caliphate and shows scenes of carnage carried out by his
fighters against unarmed civilians. The video, which is the most gruesome since
Boko Haram started the tradition of periodic releases of videotaped messages,
also shows Nigerian soldiers fleeing from approaching insurgents. Continue below and also watch the video after the cut.

Mr. Shekau, who has used such images to cultivate the image
of a fierce, reckless and merciless threat, appears to have tailored the
current video to draw maximum global attention to his group. His declaration of
a Caliphate is reminiscent of the style of the Sunni Islamic group, ISIS that
has shot to the frontline of sectarian terrorist groups after declaring its
ambition to build an Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

In his just released video, obtained by Saharareporters, Mr.
Shekau said Boko Haram insurgents were grateful to “Allah who gave us victory
to attack Abuja and also the Yobe [State] town called Damaturu.” In his
characteristic rambling manner, Mr. Shekau added, “We still thank God for the
successful bombing of Damboa and other parts of Nigeria. We are grateful to
Allah for the big victory he granted our members in Gwoza and made the town part
of our Islamic Caliphate.”

Even though Boko Haram has always stated its rejection of
Western education and values in Nigeria, the current video is the first time
the group’s leader has explicitly declared a Caliphate, a term implying that
the areas under Boko Haram’s control would be governed according to strict
Islamic codes.

Mr. Shekau lashed out at Western nations for supporting
Nigeria to fight his insurgent fighters.

“We are in an Islamic Caliphate. We have nothing to do with
Nigeria. We don’t believe in this name,” he said, vowing that his group
would continue attacks to achieve greater territorial control.

Mr. Shekau stated that Boko Haram released the video in
order to explain its recent attacks, officially acknowledging that the Islamist
insurgents carried out recent attacks in Damboa, Gwoza and other communities in
Borno and Yobe States. In the video, he revealed that Boko Haram also executed
some of its members whom he described as infidels.

“Oh people, I’m making this speech because of the lies being
spread always by the government,” he stated. Mr. Shekau expressed his rage at
youth volunteers (popularly called civilian Joint Task Force) who repelled
attacks by Boko Haram and killed some insurgents. “Have you forgotten what you
did to our brethren? You were even asking ‘are you Boko Haram, have you ever
carried a gun? This was how you killed our members,” said Mr. Shekau,
threatening to avenge the killings of his fighters.

Excerpts of the transcribed speech by Mr. Shekau are
provided below:

“I chose to deliver this message in order to refute the
lies being spread by the government, about the operations we had in recent
times.

“We warn the vigilantes called civilian JTF to back
off; if not, there will be no place for them to hide. We have evidence of how
you killed some of our brethren whom you would ask if they were Boko Haram
members before you killed them. We know how you humiliated them by asking them
if they had ever carried guns or killed someone…We know everything about the
evil you committed against our brethren.

“We still have the magnanimity of asking you to repent
because you will never succeed in this way by the grace of Allah. And I swear
by Allah that we will never stop killing you, because Allah commanded us to
kill people like you. If we pity you and spare you, one day you will become
infidels. So, to us, having pity on you is an act of disbelief. You can
continue to run or hide your identities in women’s attire, but we will get to
you and remove the women’s clothing off of you. Then, while you are shouting
for mercy, we will strike, smash your heads and kill you all. Even if you don’t
do anything to us we will kill you…We would do it even to avenge our
brethren. You killed our brethren in large numbers.

“We don’t joke with religion (quoting from the Koran).
There is no hypocrisy in this religion. It is only the truth.

“We are not proud of our strength, nor with our weapons
nor with anything we have but we are only proud of victory from Allah the
exalted. Victory is only from God. Who is America in the sight of Allah? Who is
America in the sight of Allah? Who is Israel in the sight of Allah? Who is
France in the sight of Allah?”