Terrorism: ISIS Yet To Recognise Boko Haram – Experts
By Blogger
(Also published in Leadership Newspaper 9th November,2015)
Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorists organisation whose activity had devastated the country’s North East zone is still not recognized by ISIS, the new international terror group despite their claims of ties, experts said.
Last month, a new face in the leadership of Boko Haram spoke in a high quality video posted on the YouTube calling on the Somalian Jihadists to recognize ISIS’ Abubakar Albaghdadi as its new global leader. The new face who did not identify himself by name as he spoke in clear Hausa garnished with Arabic said his group, Jamaatu Ahlil Sunna Li Dawati wal Jihad (Boko Haram) has since adopted Albaghdadi as the clear leader of all Islamic revolutionary movements in accordance with the tradition of Islam.
But experts on the study of the ideology of ISIS and other international terrorists groups, especially those of the Middle East extraction felt Boko Haram’s professed allegiance to ISIS was rather more of an attention seeking.
Mr Graeme Wood, a US Speaker on Counterterrorism said while ISIS may be enthusiastic about having allies from outside their Middle East locale, they have not looked the direction of Nigeria or documented any interest on its budding terror group, Boko Haram.
Mr Wood a veteran journalist and expert on the coverage of terrorists organisations and their activities around the Middle East was in Nigetia recently and had an interview with LEADERSHIP.
“I have not spoken to any supporters of ISIS that have made a big deal about Boko Haram; they don’t seem to know much about Boko Haram”, said Mr Wood.
The US born journalist and researcher on ISIS whose recent star publication titled “What Does ISIS Really Wants”, remains viral on the international media space, said Boko Haram, for now lacks the dynamics ISIS seeks in foreign fighters normally sourced from Europe, America, and Asia
“They may be very enthusiastic receiving such allegiance from Boko Haram; but they are not the same kind of dynamics of foreign fighters – that is western fighters, Europeans, Americans, Australians, Japanese, coming to Nigeria to fight for Boko Haram. So I think it is a very different dynamics.
He added that ISIS members “do say Boko Haram is not part of ISIS and my focus is on the Middle East; so as I looked into the documents of the propaganda …on borders of their so-called caliphate, they include West Africa. I think they often talk about Boko Haram as an example of how they can expand in the future.”
Wood, who is currently researching on similarities between ISIS and Boko Haram insisted that “Members of ISIS especially on the Iraqi side, don’t say Boko Haram is really important to them.
… but I think their major focus is on magnetizing fighters in two major centers; and those are Libya and … Overwhelmingly, the purpose of the message and propaganda is to have people from that side of the area especially from Arab countries who would go to Libya or go to Syria and Iraq. You never hear them say, or no one hears them say they should go to Nigeria. It’s a bit of an after thought – but something that they may have mentioned that of course they do have a foothold in West Africa; though a small on scale…”.
On the pattern of global war against violent extremism especially as led by the UN and US, Mr Wood, an Edward R. Murrow ffellowship Council on Foreign Relations said the would need to engaged youth peer in dissemination of counter-narratives on violent extremism rather that using government voice that are hardly trusted.
He said the counter narratives being dished out by government or authorities in government had in most cases make those outlawed values of the terrorists even more attractive to the target groups.
“I watched the space of countering violent extremism more generally and given my experience, the efforts are very weak and ineffective”, he said.
“I speak specifically about trying to counter violent extremism in Europe and the United States and in the Arab world; many of the efforts have been about saying look how bad the Islamic state is; look how evil they are; they are practicing slavery; and many of these in my experience are not repulsive to potential recruits to Islamic states; they are rather attractive.
“When they (youth groups) found out how the Islamic state is practicing the killing of people or reviving slavery , they feel excited by that; they are actually thrilled by it. I think I don’t see any reall successful concerted efforts; to do this is to make sure that the message is coming from peers rather than from authority figures or from government. The problem is you cant control what some teenagers in East London is saying to his friends; you cant control some teenager in Tunisia or in Syria for that matter who is facebooking to his friend.
“The best you can do is trying to find some of the best stories for counter narratives and make sure they have access to those stories. Anytime you use the authority to do this and the story is painted by the authority, it looses its power just by mere association with United States, United Nations or any government”.
By Blogger
(Also published in Leadership Newspaper 9th November,2015)
Boko Haram, the Nigerian terrorists organisation whose activity had devastated the country’s North East zone is still not recognized by ISIS, the new international terror group despite their claims of ties, experts said.
 |
| Graeme Wood |
But experts on the study of the ideology of ISIS and other international terrorists groups, especially those of the Middle East extraction felt Boko Haram’s professed allegiance to ISIS was rather more of an attention seeking.
Mr Graeme Wood, a US Speaker on Counterterrorism said while ISIS may be enthusiastic about having allies from outside their Middle East locale, they have not looked the direction of Nigeria or documented any interest on its budding terror group, Boko Haram.
Mr Wood a veteran journalist and expert on the coverage of terrorists organisations and their activities around the Middle East was in Nigetia recently and had an interview with LEADERSHIP.
“I have not spoken to any supporters of ISIS that have made a big deal about Boko Haram; they don’t seem to know much about Boko Haram”, said Mr Wood.
The US born journalist and researcher on ISIS whose recent star publication titled “What Does ISIS Really Wants”, remains viral on the international media space, said Boko Haram, for now lacks the dynamics ISIS seeks in foreign fighters normally sourced from Europe, America, and Asia
“They may be very enthusiastic receiving such allegiance from Boko Haram; but they are not the same kind of dynamics of foreign fighters – that is western fighters, Europeans, Americans, Australians, Japanese, coming to Nigeria to fight for Boko Haram. So I think it is a very different dynamics.
He added that ISIS members “do say Boko Haram is not part of ISIS and my focus is on the Middle East; so as I looked into the documents of the propaganda …on borders of their so-called caliphate, they include West Africa. I think they often talk about Boko Haram as an example of how they can expand in the future.”
Wood, who is currently researching on similarities between ISIS and Boko Haram insisted that “Members of ISIS especially on the Iraqi side, don’t say Boko Haram is really important to them.
 |
| Albaghdadi, ISIS Leader |
… but I think their major focus is on magnetizing fighters in two major centers; and those are Libya and … Overwhelmingly, the purpose of the message and propaganda is to have people from that side of the area especially from Arab countries who would go to Libya or go to Syria and Iraq. You never hear them say, or no one hears them say they should go to Nigeria. It’s a bit of an after thought – but something that they may have mentioned that of course they do have a foothold in West Africa; though a small on scale…”.
On the pattern of global war against violent extremism especially as led by the UN and US, Mr Wood, an Edward R. Murrow ffellowship Council on Foreign Relations said the would need to engaged youth peer in dissemination of counter-narratives on violent extremism rather that using government voice that are hardly trusted.
He said the counter narratives being dished out by government or authorities in government had in most cases make those outlawed values of the terrorists even more attractive to the target groups.
“I watched the space of countering violent extremism more generally and given my experience, the efforts are very weak and ineffective”, he said.
“I speak specifically about trying to counter violent extremism in Europe and the United States and in the Arab world; many of the efforts have been about saying look how bad the Islamic state is; look how evil they are; they are practicing slavery; and many of these in my experience are not repulsive to potential recruits to Islamic states; they are rather attractive.
“When they (youth groups) found out how the Islamic state is practicing the killing of people or reviving slavery , they feel excited by that; they are actually thrilled by it. I think I don’t see any reall successful concerted efforts; to do this is to make sure that the message is coming from peers rather than from authority figures or from government. The problem is you cant control what some teenagers in East London is saying to his friends; you cant control some teenager in Tunisia or in Syria for that matter who is facebooking to his friend.
“The best you can do is trying to find some of the best stories for counter narratives and make sure they have access to those stories. Anytime you use the authority to do this and the story is painted by the authority, it looses its power just by mere association with United States, United Nations or any government”.
No comments:
Post a Comment