In August 2014, Africa's spy chiefs met in Nairobi as part of the African Union's Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa (CISSA). They expressed deep concern about the growing threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the likelihood that the radical outfit might influence the continent's own jihadi groups. Areas of concern for the chiefs included an "alliance being built by terror groups worldwide, sophisticated sources of funding, and [Africa's] porous borders." A major risk of ISIS establishing itself in Africa is through the continent's organized jihadi groups. This begs the question: Does ISIS has a relationship with these groups? Here is where major African groups stand: Boko Haram This Nigerian group is currently the most lethal of all African terror groups. Known for its bombings, bank robberies and kidnappings, the group has in the last 2 months captured a large swathe of territory - a tactic that is said to have been inspired by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Abu Bakr Shekau, the then head of Boko Haram, boasted about the capture of Gwozo, calling it a "state among the Islamic states." In July, Shekau publicly declared support for ISIS. What is interesting [...]
[view whole blog post
]
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
See More
Report Abuse