Recent Appearances...

Hello !
Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria Claims 'Global Terrorist' Kambar Killed

2013-06-07

[An Nahar] Nigeria's military claimed on Thursday that U.S.-designated "global terrorist" Abubakar Adam Kambar was killed in an operation last year, though Washington had not confirmed the death.

Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Suleiman said Kambar, believed to have links to al-Qaeda's north African branch and Nigerian Islamist bully boy group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
, was killed on March 18, 2012.

That would have been before the United States listed him and two other Nigerian Islamists, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and Khalid al-Barnawi, as "global terrorists" in June of last year.

Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, a defense front man, said that may have been because information had not been properly passed along, but could not give further details.

Another military front man, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, also confirmed the death but declined to give details on why the U.S. designation would have been issued afterwards.

"We trailed him to somewhere. He didn't want to be jugged
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
, so we gunned him down," Suleiman told Agence La Belle France Presse after a briefing to journalists in the northeastern city of Maiduguri in which he mentioned Kambar's killing.

U.S. officials in Nigeria were not immediately available to comment.

During the briefing, Suleiman called Kambar "the main link with al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab

... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
," referring to Somalia's Islamist bad turban group.

Security sources had previously estimated Kambar to be in his mid-30s and a native of Borno state, where Maiduguri is the capital.

He was said to have been an active member of Boko Haram at the time of a 2009 uprising in Maiduguri, which was crushed by the military.

According to security sources, he fled Nigeria after the uprising was put down but eventually returned.

Boko Haram members have trained with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in northern Mali and there have been suspicions of further links with it and other bully boy groups in Africa.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

FG proscribes Boko Haram, Ansaru

2013-06-05

[Nigerian Tribune] BOKO Haram and Ansaru are coming under more pressure as President

Link

Africa North

U.S. Offers $23 Million for AQIM, Boko Haram Bosses

2013-06-04

[An Nahar] In an unprecedented move, the United States on Monday posted up to $23 million in rewards to help track down five leaders of bad turban groups accused of spreading terror in west Africa.

The highest reward of $7 million is offered for the Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
leader Abubakar Shekau, who last week called on Islamists in Afghanistan, Pakistain and Iraq to join the bloody fight to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.

The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice program also targeted al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), offering its first ever bounties for wanted Death Eaters in west Africa.

Up to $5 million was posted for al-Qaeda veteran Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the one-eyed Islamist behind the devastating attack on an Algerian gas plant in January in which 37 foreigners, including three Americans, were killed.

A further $5 million was offered for top AQIM leader Yahya Abou Al-Hammam, reportedly involved in the 2010 murder of an elderly French hostage in Niger.

Malik Abou Abdelkarim, a senior fighter with AQIM, and Oumar Ould Hamaha, the front man for Mali's Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), were also targeted by the rewards program, which will give up to $3 million each for information leading to their arrests.

"AQIM has been increasingly active in north and west Africa. They're one of the pre-eminent kidnap for ransom groups in the terrorist world right now," a senior State Department official told Agence La Belle France Presse, asking not to be named.

"They cause us a great deal of concern. Anything that we can do naturally to cut down on the capabilities of AQIM, anything that we can do to get information on these people so that we can get them in front of a court... That is our goal."

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria Releases 58 Women, Children in Peace Gesture

2013-06-01

[An Nahar] Nigeria's military said Friday it had released 58 women and kiddies held in connection with the Islamist insurgency in the country's northeast under a peace gesture announced 10 days ago.

The youngest of the children released in Borno state told journalists at a ceremony announcing the move that he was nine years old. Twenty women and kiddies were released in Borno, while 38 others in neighboring Yobe state.

"We're releasing six women and 14 young men to the Borno State government as directed by the defense headquarters," Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, front man for the military in Borno told news hounds.

In Yobe, Lieutenant Eli Lazarus announced the release of 17 women and 21 children.

"We hope the release will serve the purpose for which it was intended," he told news hounds.

Nigeria has defended the detention of children in connection with the insurgency, saying those held were directly involved in ways such as acting as lookouts and running errands.

Its military has come under heavy criticism in its fight against Islamist hard boy group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
, including allegations of arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions and extra-judicial killings.

The military launched a sweeping offensive in the northeast on May 15 in a bid to end the four-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram.

It announced on May 21 it would release women and kiddies held in connection with the insurgency as part of a peace gesture.

The move came after Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed in a recent video that the group was holding women and kiddies hostage in retaliation for wives and children of its members jugged
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
by the military.

Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck reached for the green sauce...
the military also said Friday it had tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
56 more Islamist gunnies as part of an ongoing offensive in the country's restive northeast, but provided few other details on the operation.

A military statement said they were arrested in various locations but did not specify where or when. It added that weapons seized included homemade bombs.

"A total of 56 identified gunnies were apprehended with the help of military police dogs," it said.

Mobile phone service has been cut in much of the northeast since an offensive was launched on May 15 and access to remote areas has been restricted, making it impossible to verify claims from the military and the Islamists.

The military has declined to provide total numbers of those arrested or killed since the offensive began.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria Says 56 More Islamist Insurgents Arrested

2013-06-01

[An Nahar] Nigeria's military said Friday it had placed in durance vile
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
56 more Islamist snuffies as part of an ongoing offensive in the country's restive northeast, but provided few other details on the operation.

A military statement said they were arrested in various locations but did not specify where or when. It added that weapons seized included homemade bombs.

"A total of 56 identified snuffies were apprehended with the help of military police dogs," it said.

Mobile phone service has been cut in much of the northeast since an offensive was launched on May 15 and access to remote areas has been restricted, making it impossible to verify claims from the military and the Islamists.

The military has declined to provide total numbers of those arrested or killed since the offensive began.

In a video obtained by Agence La Belle France Presse on Tuesday, the leader of Islamist myrmidon group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
, Abubakar Shekau, said soldiers have retreated in the offensives and rejected military statements about the success of the operation.

The military has dismissed his claims as propaganda and argued that the snuffies are in disarray.

President

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Boko Haram rebels say Nigerian military offensive is failing

2013-05-30

[BETA.DAWN] The leader of Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
Salafist tough guys said on Wednesday that the Nigerian military offensive is failing in its goal of crushing the four-year-old insurgency.

Abubakar Shekau's statement, in a video seen by Rooters, was the first word from Boko Haram since President

Goodluck Jonathan
... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
declared a state of emergency on May 14 in the three northeastern states worst hit by the insurgency.

Thousands of extra troops were sent to the region and Boko Haram camps were hit with air strikes. The military has since claimed that gunnies have been halted.

Shekau denied he was losing the battle.

"My fellow brethren from all over the world I assure you that we are strong, hail and hearty since they launched this assault on us following the state of emergency declaration," he said, dressed in camouflage with an AK-47 rifle resting behind him.

"When they launch any attack on us you see soldiers fleeing and throwing away their weapons like a rabbit that is been hunted down," he added, speaking in a mixture of Arabic and the Hausa language common in northern Nigeria.

Shekau asked his "brethren" in Iraq, Pakistain, Afghanistan and Syria to join what he called Boko Haram's Holy War.

The video goes on to show apparently dead bodies in military uniform and charred camouflaged vehicles which Shekau said were evidence of victories in festivities with soldiers.

The military assault in the semi-deserts along the borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger is Jonathan's biggest effort yet to end the insurgency. Security sources said soldiers from Niger and Cameroon are also involved.

It follows a surge in violence in Nigeria's northeast by Boko Haram, which wants to establish an Islamic state there.

Nigeria's population of 170 million is split roughly evenly between Christians, who dominate in the south, and Musselmens, who are the majority in the north.

The military has said it has locked away
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
more than 100 krazed killers, freed hostages and killed several Boko Haram members in recent days. But its statements made no mention of the sort of counter-strikes Boko Haram have launched in the past.

Shekau said only seven Boko Haram members have been killed since the offensive began.

The Defence Ministry said last week that the gunnies had been dislodged but security experts doubt it will be easy to defeat an enemy adept at re-arming and counter-attacking in remote regions where they have operated in for years.

It has been impossible to verify the claims of Shekau or the military because telephone services have been disconnected for 12 days in Borno state, where the bulk of the fighting has taken place.

Jonathan said last week he would free a number of locked away
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
Islamist suspects, mostly women and kiddies, in what security sources believe was a move to build popular support. He has also offered amnesty to gunnies who lay down their weapons.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria president considers amnesty for Islamist rebels

2013-04-18

[Al Ahram] Nigerian President

Goodluck Jonathan
... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
signalled on Wednesday he would consider offering an amnesty to Islamist orc group Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
, in an effort to end an insurgency that has killed thousands.

"Goodluck Jonathan has approved the constitution of a Presidential Committee to constructively engage key members of Boko Haram and define a comprehensive and workable framework for resolving the crisis of insecurity," his office said in a statement.

Boko Haram, a group fighting to create an Islamic state in religiously mixed Nigeria, has become the greatest threat to stability in Africa's biggest oil exporter and most populous country, since an uprising in 2009.

The group mostly targets security forces but has attacked several churches, mosques, schools and markets, increasingly using suicide bombs.

Christian southerner Jonathan has been largely unsuccessful in quelling the violence through military means and, in recent weeks, traditional leaders in the predominantly Mohammedan north have put pressure on him to offer Boko Haram a deal.

Western governments are increasingly concerned about Nigerian Islamists linking up with other groups in the region, including al Qaeda's West African wing, particularly after a spike in kidnappings of foreigners this year.

Jonathan had previously said that he would only engage Boko Haram in dialogue once it had ceased attacks and when its secretive leaders come out of the shadows for talks.

Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau has said in the past he was not interested in talking with the government. Any grinding of the peace processor would be complicated by the group's ill-defined leadership structure and the existence of spin-off Islamist groups.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Boko Haram Leader Threatens To Attack JTF, Journalists For 'Telling Lies'

2013-03-21

[LEADERSHIP.NG] The leader of the Boko Haram sect, Ibn Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to deal with the spokesman of the JTF in Borno State, Lt Col Sagir Musa, and journalists for telling lies against the islamist sect, an online medium has reported.

The group also named Abu Zinnira as its new spokesman, just as it insisted they will not release the seven French hostages in their custody, until their wives and children being detained in Cameroon by French and Cameroonian authorities are set free.

Here is an excerpt of the broadcast:

"Anybody that is found standing against our religion should know that it is not a difficult task for us to die defending it. That is the pronouncement from me in my capacity as leader.

"We have a mission of establishing Sharia in this country and the rest of the world. We are the ones holding hostage the seven French nationals. We are holding them in custody because the leaders of Cameroon and Nigeria have also detained our brethren with women and children under dehumanising condition. It is against every rules of engagement to hold women and children as prisoners of war.

"Our message to the world is that these seven French will not be released until when we see our detained brethren released."

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Boko Haram Beheads Informant��

2013-03-07

[PMNEWSNIGERIA] A man accused of being an informant has been beheaded by Islamist group Boko Haram.
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
The incident was recorded in a video obtained Tuesday in which the victim accused of being an informant appears to be beheaded on camera.

Suspected leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, denies any ceasefire deal with the government and also makes no mention of kidnappings in the video, including last month's abduction of seven members of a French family in neighbouring Cameroon that was blamed on his group.

It was not clear when or where the video was made. The clip has been distributed to Nigerian journalists in the country's north in recent days through intermediaries.

Shekau and other Boko Haram members. PHOTO: AFP

Sources familiar with Boko Haram say it was handed out in this manner because Nigerian authorities have been blocking the group's videos from being uploaded to YouTube.

AFP could not verify the authenticity of the video but the man speaking closely resembles a person identified in previous clips as Shekau.

There are two separate parts to the video: one of Shekau speaking and another of the apparent beheading. Shekau cannot be seen in the second part.

The video is in part a response to a man claiming to be a Boko Haram commander who has appeared in public several times in recent months calling for dialogue and declaring a ceasefire.

There has been deep suspicion over whether the man calling for the ceasefire has truly represented Boko Haram.

"We have never made a truce with anybody, and no one represented us in any dialogue," Shekau, wearing a knee-length green caftan and with an AK-47 dangling from his neck, says in the video, which is about 10 minutes long.

Speaking in the Hausa language common throughout northern Nigeria, he names the man who made the ceasefire claim, Sheikh Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, and promises punishment for those who falsely represent the group.

"We have not entered into dialogue with anyone," he says. "Which kind of dialogue, for God's sake, when day and night our brothers are being placed in durance vile
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
, imprisoned, including women and kiddies?"

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria Military Base Attack Kills at Least 20

2013-03-03

Fighters linked to the radical Islamic terrorist network Boko Haram attacked a military base in Nigeria�s north on Sunday in an assault that left at least 20 people dead, as the network�s leader denied any peace talks with Nigeria�s government.

The attack in the village of Monguno, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) from the city of Maiduguri, punctuated the video statement by Abubakar Shekau that said Nigeria will remain under attack by the group until the multiethnic nation is ruled under Islamic law. Shekau also threatened the man who in recent months claimed to be a leader of Boko Haram and said that the group wanted to agree to a cease-fire with Nigeria�s security forces.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Boko Haram Denies Ceasefire, Pastes Threat Posters In Borno

2013-02-22

[LEADERSHIP.NG] Jama'atu Ahlussunah Lidda'awati Wal Jihad popularly called Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
has denied ever announcing a ceasefire.

On Wednesday morning residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital woke up to see pasted posters around mosques and in different parts of the city carrying messages from the leader of Boko Haram, Imam Abubakar Shekau which denied ever delegating anybody to discuss with the Borno State government on cease fire.

BBC Hausa service monitored in Abuja reported that some people in Maiduguri said they received some leaflets which were shared on Tuesday evening.

But the Borno State commissioner of information, Inuwa Buwala said that he was not aware of it even as he promised to investigate the incident.

It would be recalled that Borno State government earlier said it had reached a memorandum of understanding of a cease fire with the person that claimed to be Boko Haram front man.

Boko Haram has always passed its messages through posters and media.

Link

Africa Subsaharan

Nigeria: Boko Haram - Cease-Fire or Ceaseless Fire?

2013-02-17

[ALLAFRICA] EIGHTEEN days after a faction of the Boko Haram Islamic sect announced a cease-fire following a 42-month multi-prong attack on military, police and security facilities and churches among others that claimed about 3000 lives there is still fear in the land.

Continuing attacks by gunmen and counter-attacks from security forces, which have led to the death of 53 Nigerians including nine policemen and a soldier, indicate that the country is still a long way from bidding terrorism good bye.

This is in spite of the fact that no one has claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks affecting four states that cut across two geo-political zones of the country.

How cease-fire was brokered

The January 28 peace deal was brokered after a marathon meeting between some leaders of the group, which has been terrorizing some states in the North, particularly Borno since July 2009, and the Borno State Government led by Governor Kashim Shettima with other top government officials and religious leaders from the state in attendance.

Why we're sheathing our sword - Boko Haram commander

Briefing newsmen after the marathon meeting in Maiduguri, Sheikh Abu Mohammad Abdulazeez Ibn Idris a commander of Boko Haram in-charge of North and Central Borno, said after due consultation with the leader of the sect, Shiekh Abubakar Shekau, as well as intervention and pleadings from respected individuals and groups in the state, we "have all come to terms and agreed to lay down our arms."

The Boko Haram Commander however, insisted that, government should immediately release all their members from custody unconditionally, re-build their places of worship and compensate them among other demands.

Sheikh Abdulazeez said that, the sect observed that during the lingering insurgency, a lot of Muslim women and children had suffered untold hardship, adding that, they also decided to lay down their arms for peace to reign in Borno and the country at large.

"I am appealing and calling on all our members through this medium to lay down their arms henceforth, till further notice," Abdulazeez stated.

Link

22 More