The latest video posted by West African Islamist extremists Boko Haram marks a change in tactics for the militant group.
The footage, featuring a man believed to be Boko Haram leader
Abubakar Shekau, depicts the reclusive leader delivering a 12-minute
"message" to leaders in the Nigerian government and western democracies,
condemning their rule of law and urging their leaders to turn to Allah.
But perhaps most interesting is the way in which the video was
shared, the iconography used throughout, its higher resolution and the
cues the group seems to be taking from its colleagues in the Islamic
State (ISIS), militants thousands of miles away.
In the video, Shekau condemns the Nigerian government and denounces the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Benin for their recent pledges of support to aid Nigeria in its battle against Boko Haram.
A graphic depicting the black flag typically used by ISIS and its
supporters appears in the top right corner throughout the video. While
Boko Haram has long used the so-called Black Standard over a book and
two crossed guns as their symbol, this new icon is more commonly
associated with ISIS. Screenshot from a 2013 video shows Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau with the group's traditional icon over his right shoulder.That
now-notorious ISIS flag features the Shahada, the Islamic testament of
faith, and an additional circle, that translates in its entirety as
"there is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God."
In addition to borrowing the group's iconography, Boko Haram appears
to be taking a page from the Islamic State's social media strategy.
Previously, Boko Haram distributed its footage directly to
international news agencies such as the AFP, oftentimes through a
middleman.
Its latest video and photos were originally posted to a Twitter account that appears to be closely tied to the group — much like how ISIS distributes its gruesome execution videos.
The footage is also translated from Hausa, one of Nigeria's
languages, into both Arabic and English, presumably to allow for wider
distribution and consumption of the content.
That same Twitter account also shared a group of photos, and while no
known Boko Haram members can be identified in the group, it bears the
title: "Images from throughout the Islamic State in West Africa."
The photo set, much like those from the Islamic State, features
idyllic scenes of the countryside and people, living their lives
seemingly without fear. The files were shared using the anonymous
posting platform JustPaste.it, another platform frequently used by
members of ISIS and their supporters. The borrowing of strategies employed by the world's most-feared terror group comes as no surprise.
Boko Haram was founded in 2002 and has long rejected Western secular
society and attempted to impose Shariah law — an Islamic legal system
based on the Koran and fatwas — and increase its territory under a
self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate.
ISIS, since its inception, has had similar goals.
In July 2014, Shekau voiced his support for ISIS in a 16-minute
video, addressing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and saying, "My
brethren... may Allah protect you."
Nigerian authorities chose to postpone February's presidential and legislative elections until March 28 because of insecurity in the country caused by Boko Haram.
Security forces are fighting against the group, which has taken over
large swaths of the country's northeast. Violent attacks have left
thousands dead and displaced 1.5 million people in the region.
If the latest video is to be believed, the group's land grabbing appears to be far from over.
Boko
Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed to disrupt Nigeria’s general
election in a new video released Tuesday, after two suicide attacks in
the Northeast blamed on the Islamists killed 38 people.
“This election will not be held even if we are dead. Even if we are not
alive Allah will never allow you to do it,” (Go to 9:37 minutes) Shekau
said in the Hausa language, presumably referring to the polls scheduled
for March 28.
The video appeared to be the first message released by the group on
Twitter, a sign of its changing media tactics after previous messages
were distributed to journalists on DVD.
Shekau was shown in unusual clarity in front of a solid blue background,
dressed in black and with an automatic weapon resting to his right.
He also claimed a weekend attack in the Northeast Nigerian City of Gombe, which the military says was repelled.
The Islamist leader, declared a global terrorist by the United States
and sanctioned by the United Nations, disputed the military’s account of
the Gombe clashes, claiming that his fighters overran troops and freed
insurgents from prison.
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PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Candles lit up the plaza of a central Arizona
courthouse Wednesday as hundreds gathered to honor the American woman
pictured before them who was taken hostage by Islamic State militants.
Kayla Mueller’s death earlier this month was confirmed by her family
and U.S. officials. The 26-year-old international aid worker from
Prescott, Arizona, had been captured in Syria in August 2013.
Friends, family and strangers wore pink ribbons on their shirts as
they listened to speakers reflect on Mueller’s life and work. Strangers
and friends dropped off cards and wrote messages for a scrapbook,
calling Mueller an angel and saying she represented the best of
humanity.
Mueller’s brother, Eric Mueller, encouraged the crowd to live as his
first friend, best friend and sister did by reaching out to those who
are suffering and give them a hug. His father, Carl Mueller, stood up
immediately after his son finished speaking and hugged him tightly at
the bottom of the stage.
“May God keep you from any more harm, any more hurt,” Eric Mueller
said to his sister. “You are in his hands now. You do not have to suffer
anymore. Only now will you be able to see how much you really did and
truly did for this world by looking down on it from above.”
Mueller’s parents did not speak to reporters, but they mingled afterward and embraced friends.
Mueller’s friends set up tables to accept canned goods and money for the needy, saying that’s what Mueller would have wanted.
“She was a saint,” said Rebecca Dunn, who attended high school with
Mueller in Prescott. “I’m hoping someone can take on her legacy. There
was nothing she couldn’t do.”
Churches and community groups in Mueller’s hometown of Prescott, the
former territorial capital of Arizona, organized the candlelight
memorial. As it opened, a live band sang “He Who Began A Good Work in
You,” a song that Mueller’s mother, Marsha, used to sing to her as a
child.
Mueller’s family sat in the front row, clasping hands and wiping
tears from their eyes. In the crowd, people raised their hands, closed
their eyes and sang along.
Pastor Ron Merrell said he was hopeful the community that gathered
would give hope and love to Mueller’s family, and bring light into
darkness — “something that Kayla Mueller was good at.”
From Prescott, Mueller helped raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, and
she volunteered for the overnight shift at a women’s shelter. She
protested genocide in Darfur while she attended Northern Arizona
University in Flagstaff. She also traveled to the Palestinian
territories, Israel, India and France.
Kathleen Day, a campus minister at the university, recalled the time
when Mueller taught anger-management skills to women in the county jail.
She said Mueller was learning and teaching about how to experience God
in the midst of prison well before she was held captive for 18 months in
Syria.
Day asked the crowd to also pray for others held hostage by the Islamic State group.
Little is known about Mueller’s time in captivity or how she died, and Day said that’s fine with her.
“It’s really about what’s next and what’s before us,” she said in an
interview. “I’m sure our government will be trying to come to those
conclusions. It’s all going to be speculation. There’s probably no way
for us to ever have fully the truth.”
As candles in the crowd were being lit one by one and the choir from
Mueller’s high school sang of being guided by God’s ways and in his
time, Carl Mueller lifted his candle toward the sky. Others in the crowd
followed his lead.
Enugu—An Indian national, identified as Mr. Vishwanath Mishal, has been arrested in Enugu for allegedly arranging his own kidnap and demanding N10 million ransom from his employers. The suspect was said to have travelled to Enugu, where he sent distress calls to his employers in Lagos from someone else’s phone, claiming that he was held hostage in Enugu. Following the negotiation for his release, the ransom was reduced from N10 million to N7 million, which he personally went to cash from a new generation bank along Okpara Avenue. However, he was swiftly nabbed by police operatives, who laid siege to the bank before his arrival. Also arrested was a commercial tricycle operator who brought him to the bank to cash the money. On interrogation, the Indian confessed that he actually hatched the plan because he needed some money to urgently sort out some pressing issues. Men of Enugu State Police Command had also, this week, arrested one Madueke Ahamuefula from Egbema in Bayelsa State in the same bank for scam. State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said the suspect had earlier withdrawn N700,000 believed to have been swindled from unsuspecting members of the public, leading to the placement order. He said luck ran out of the suspect when he allegedly came back to withdraw another money from his account, not knowing that there - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/indian-stages-own-kidnap-demands-n10m-ransom/#sthash.CZBJH9Qj.dpuf
Renowned Mexican actress and singer-songwriter Lorena Rojas, 44, passed away Monday at her Miami home after succumbing to liver cancer. She is survived by her daughter Luciana.
Born in Mexico City, she achieved celebrity for her roles in Mexican soap operas like El Cuerpo del Deseo, Pecados Ajenos, Alcanzar Una Estrella and Demente Criminal, reports the Latin Times.
In addition to starring in telenovelas, Rojas also appeared in five films and in stage productions of Manos Quietas and Aventurera. Last year, inspired by her daughter, she worked as a musical composer for the children’s album Hijos Del Sol.
After a six-month closure due to the Ebola epidemic, many schools in Liberia reopened their classroom doors on Monday.
Before lessons began, pupils lined up to wash their hands in
chlorinated water while teachers took their temperatures as part of new
safety measures, reports the BBC.
Though students were excited to get back to school, some were worried that the virus had not been completely eradicated.
Liberia was one of the worst affected countries by Ebola with at
least 3,800 people killed. However, there has been a general decline of
the deadly disease in recent weeks.
According to the World Health Organization, only three new confirmed
cases were reported in Liberia in the week leading to Feb. 8.
The reopening of schools comes a day after leaders of the three worst
affected West African states — Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone — vowed
to achieve “zero Ebola infections within 60 days,” during a meeting in
the latter on Sunday.
[BBC]
An Indian woman in the eastern state of Orissa married a man she accused of raping her, saying it was her “own decision to marry him.”
The woman’s father said the family had no choice but to accept the
union, the BBC reported Monday, highlighting the victim-shaming that
often accompanies sexual-assault cases in India. “Her whole life would
have been ruined,” he said. “And we would have had to put up with the
embarrassment forever.”
The wedding took place in the Jharpada jail where the accused, now
released on bail, was held for a year following his arrest. The father
told the BBC that the family was also considering withdrawing their
complaint against the man.
“I am optimistic that we will have a smooth life,” the woman told the Times of India during the wedding ceremony late last month.
(AMHERST, Mass.) — The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has
banned Iranian nationals from admission to certain graduate programs in a
move that school officials say aligns its policy with U.S. sanctions
against Iran.
The university will no longer admit students from Iran to some programs in engineering and natural sciences.
The National Iranian American Council says UMass’ interpretation of
the law is flawed and may violate protections against discrimination.
Congress enacted legislation in August 2012 that denies visas for
Iranian citizens to study in the U.S. if they plan to participate in
coursework for a career in the energy or nuclear fields in Iran.
The fragile cease-fire in Ukraine appears to be near collapse just 48
hours after being implemented, as separatist fighters and government
troops continued to engage in tit-for-tat fighting.
On Monday, rebels and Ukrainian forces exchanged artillery fire
throughout the day near the strategic rail hub of Debaltseve, east of
Donetsk. A leading representative from the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) pledged to travel to the city on Tuesday to assess the situation after members of the group were denied access over the weekend.
A South Texas judge has ordered an injunction
on U.S. President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration,
attributing it to a failure of the government to “comply with the
Administrative Procedure Act.”
The injunction stalls Obama’s orders, which could spare up to 5
million people who are currently in the U.S. illegally from deportation.
The move gives a coalition of 26 states the opportunity to pursue a
lawsuit that would permanently halt the President’s orders.
U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen, who was appointed by former
President George W. Bush in 2002, prevented any implementation of the
Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents,
or DAPA, until a resolution is reached or the court decides otherwise.
Hanen also ordered the parties to come to an agreement on the issue
by Feb. 27, when they will be required to submit a schedule for its
resolution.
