Boko Haram threatens to attack US •Claims responsibility for military base attack

Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Nigerian militant group, Boko Haram, has reiterated the resolve of his group to carry out attacks in the United States of America.

Shekau said this in a 40-minute video made public through Nigerian journalists on Thursday.

The Boko Haram leader, dressed in military camouflage, also claimed that God gave his group “victory” in the attack in the city of Maiduguri, the home base for the shadowy Islamist militant group.

On December 2, militants attacked an air force base and army barracks in the north eastern city.

A defence ministry spokesman said 24 insurgents died in a shootout with soldiers at the base. There was no word on whether there were military or civilian casualties.

A VOA correspondent, who visited the scene after the attack, reported damage at the barracks and a nearby police station.

A journalist who saw the video says Shekau is holding what appears to be a Russian-made rifle and becomes extremely agitated during portions of his 19-minute message.

He alternates between three languages, Hausa, Arabic and Kanuri. The rest of the video shows what appears to be excerpts of the militant attack on the military facilities in Maiduguri.

The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.

Boko Haram’s name roughly translates from the Hausa language as “Western education is a sin.”

The militant group is believed to be fighting for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, and is blamed for thousands of deaths since it began its uprising in 2009.

The violence prompted the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency in three north eastern states this year and send additional soldiers to fight the group. Human rights groups have accused the military of using indiscriminate and heavy-handed violence in its crackdown.
TRIBUNE