Nigeria’s Boko Haram declares Islamic state in seized lands

Nigeria’s Boko Haram declares Islamic state in seized lands

PanARMENIAN.Net - Militant group Boko Haram has said it has set up an Islamic state in the towns and villages it has seized in north-eastern Nigeria, BBC News reported.

The group leader Abubakar Shekau was speaking in a video released to congratulate his fighters for seizing the town of Gwoza earlier this month.

It is not clear if Shekau has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which controls parts of Iraq and Syria. Nigeria's army has rejected the claim as "empty".

Thousands of people have been killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, since 2009 when Boko Haram began its insurgency.

Gwoza, which had 265,000 residents in the last census, is the biggest town under Boko Haram control. It has raised its flags over the palace of the Emir of Gwoza, the town's traditional ruler, residents say.

"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic state," Shekau said in the 52-minute video.

The group controls several areas, mostly in Borno state where the group was launched, but also in neighboring Yobe state.

The video also shows about 20 men in civilian clothes apparently being shot dead.

Nigeria's military spokesman Chris Olukolade responded with a statement dismissing the declaration. "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Nigerian state is still intact," he said.

In his previous video, released in July, Shekau congratulated the Islamic State (IS) for its advances in Iraq and Syria but did not say whether they were allies - there is no evidence that the two groups have been working together.

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