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Who is Abubakar Shekau?
On the off chance you care now that he's dead... | Shekau became Boko Haram leader in 2009, after the previous leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was killed. Shekau is the most wanted man in Nigeria. The US has offered a reward of £7m for information about his whereabouts.
The leader is nicknamed "Darul Tawheed", which translates as a specialist in Tawheed, an orthodox doctrine centring on the uniqueness of Allah. But Nigeria's mainstream Muslim clerics do not regard him as a scholar and question his understanding of Islam.
Shekau does not communicate directly with Boko Haram's foot soldiers and is said to wield his power through a few select cell leaders. Even then contact is minimal.
Last year, the Nigerian government said troops had killed Shekau. However, the leader subsequently appeared in a video he made to prove he was still alive.
Posted by: Steve White 2014-09-23 |
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=400526 |
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