ISIS in West Africa
Recent activities of ISIS in West Africa have raised
questions about whether the organization has become more radical than before.
Developments within the leadership and operations of the terrorist organization
have led to such a shift in expectations for what has become a growing threat
in West Africa.
The Boko Haram terrorist organization announced its
allegiance to ISIS in 2015, but a number of Boko Haram members withdrew a year
later following the appointment of Abubakar Shekau as the leader of the
organization. They chose Abu Musab al-Barnawi to be the leader of a pro-Western
organization in West Africa, which was announced in a news bulletin issued by
the militant organization.
The death of Mamman Nur
Mamman Nur, an al-Baranawi associate and a veteran terrorist with international extremist contacts, was considered the de facto leader of the ISIS organization in West Africa but was killed in August 2018 as a result of disagreements between the leaders of the terrorist organization. One explanation for the killing of Nur by members of the organization was internal discontent with his policies, including the release of 100 schoolgirls kidnapped by the terrorist organization from the northern Nigerian town of Dapchi earlier this year. Leaders of the terrorist organization saw that Nur was relatively moderate and more willing to deal with the Nigerian government, which was rejected by the rest of the oranization’s leadership. Nur’s death raises major questions about the status of Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the leader of ISIS in West Africa and his relationship with the main branch in Iraq and Syria.
Media promotions by the Syrian and Iraqi media have increased in West Africa since Noor's death, and more than 23 media outlets have been broadcast on the various Da'ash outlets, including the Deep Agency, which has never happened before.
Increased attacks
In West Africa, ISIS targets Nigerian military bases in the northern state of Borno. Many attacks have resulted in security personnel fleeing, at least until reinforcements or air forces arrive to confront the organization's militants. But these attacks show no signs of slowing the terrorist organization's activity, as is evident from the attack in the town of Metele in late November.
During the attack on the security forces, the members of the organization looted weapons, providing them the ability to cause chaos and inflict painful blows to the security forces, as they are now stronger than before. Even the strategy of the terrorist organization in dealing with hostages has changed. In the past, ISIS in West Africa would negotiate the release of hostages, but recently the organization has become less patient. In mid-September, the terrorist group executed one of three captured aid workers, claiming that the Nigerian government had ignored its demands. Then, in mid-October, following a 30-day deadline it had set for a response from the government, the group killed a second hostage.
ISIS justified the executions in a different way from the former hostages. The executed relief workers were Muslim, so ISIS claimed that they had abandoned Islam by working with international organizations.
