LAGOS
The notorious Boko Haram militant group has threatened to target Nigeria's upcoming general elections while also lashing out at regional leaders.
"We say that these elections… will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our lives," Abubakar Shekau, introducing himself as the "imam" (leader) of the Jamaat Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Daawah wal-Jihad, the name by which Boko Haram refers to itself, said in a new video.
"Allah [God] will not leave you to proceed with these elections even after us, because you are saying that authority is from people to people, which means that people should rule each other," he declared.
"But Allah says the authority is only to Him and only His rule is the one which applies on this land," he added.
Nigerians were supposed to go to the polls on Feb. 14 to elect a president and members of parliament.
However, the country's official electoral commission postponed the vote to March 28, citing recommendations by the Nigerian security agencies.
Although 14 candidates plan to vie for the presidency, the poll is largely seen as a race between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler running on the ticket of the opposition All People's Congress (APC).
The APC is an amalgam of political interests that have come together in a bid to wrest power from Jonathan's People's Democratic Party, which has ruled the country since its return to democracy in 1999.
"This message is not a message of declaring a war, but a call for you to listen and obey Allah," Shekau asserted in the video.
"Don't gather in mosques and memorize the Quran and then be part of those who oppose it at the same time," he said.
Since 2009, Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country's volatile northeast and left thousands dead.
A seemingly emboldened Boko Haram recently stepped up its militant activity, seizing several areas of Nigeria's Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, where it has declared a self-styled "Islamic caliphate."
Western allies
In the new video, the Boko Haram leader threatened the leaders of neighboring Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger, all of which have joined Nigeria in the fight against the militant sect.
"Oh rulers of Africa, and you claim to be Muslims? Oh you Mahamadou Issoufou, president of Niger; Oh you Idriss Deby, president of Chad – don't you see [Nigerian President] Jonathan, how he has failed in the fight against us?" Shekau said.
He went on to threaten them with attacks as fierce as those recently mounted by his group against Nigerian troops.
"It will be hard for you because we fight with the guidance of Allah and take no pride in our forces or weapons," Shekau said in the 12-minute video subtitled in English and Arabic.
Boko Haram has recently carried out several deadly attacks in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, prompting the latter to launch a joint counterterrorism campaign endorsed by the African Union and other regional bodies.
Shekau accused regional African leaders of allying with the West against fellow Muslims.
"Take off the masks from your faces; you must know that you are fighting Allah," he asserted.
"To whomever supports [French President] Francois Hollande and [U.S. President Barak] Obama as they supported [former U.S. president George W.] Bush and [former U.S. president Bill] Clinton before and supported Israel and support the nation of disbelievers, he is an enemy to us and a target of our forces," Shekau threatened.
He added: "We will enslave him and sell him in the markets."
300 militants killed, 11 towns cleared in 2 days: Nigeria
The Nigerian authorities announced on Wednesday that the army had killed over 300 Boko Haram militants over the past two days during military operations that also liberated at least 11 northeastern towns from Boko Haram control.
"Mopping-up operations in some of the communities where terrorists have been cleared in the course of ongoing air and land operations… have indicated massive casualties inflicted on them within the last two days," Defense Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement.
"Over 300 terrorists were killed while a few were also captured," he added.
He went on to say that several weapons and vehicles had either been captured or destroyed.
According to Olukolade, the operations saw many communities recently captured by militants liberated by the Nigerian troops.
"The cordon and search operation is continuing, with aggressive patrols by troops who are now dominating the cleared communities, such as Monguno, Gabchari, Abba Jabari, Zuntur, Gajigana, Gajiram, Damakar, Kumaliwa, Bosso Wanti, Jeram and Kabrisungul," the spokesman said.
He added: "The various phases of highly coordinated air and land operations are ongoing in the designated theaters. [They are] being handled by contingents involved in the renewed counter-terrorism campaign in and outside Nigeria."
Since 2009, Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country's volatile northeast and left thousands dead.
A seemingly emboldened Boko Haram recently stepped up its militant activity, seizing several areas of Nigeria's Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, where it has declared a self-styled "Islamic caliphate."
