Jihadist divisions grow in Nigeria

[Valin]

Long War Journal:

Thomas Joscelyn

February 23rd, 2015

 

On Feb. 9, a video attributed to Ansaru, an insurgency and terrorist organization based in Nigeria, was posted on YouTube. Much of the 18 minute production focuses on the destruction allegedly wrought by government forces as they hunt down the jihadists. One grisly scene shows what appears to be a soldier sawing at the neck of a Muslim citizen before dumping his victim’s body in an unmarked grave. Other scenes purportedly show Christians burning Muslims alive and the charred remnants of villages ransacked by the Nigerian army.

 

Against this backdrop, the video’s director argues, the Muslims of Nigeria have no choice but to join or support Ansaru. “Jihad has become inevitable,” an Ansaru narrator says in Hausa, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. “Inactiveness can no longer help. God has brought a solution to your problem, and that solution is Ansaru. Its role is to enlighten and wage jihad in the cause of God. It is also to protect Muslims’ lives and property.”

 

The Ansaru speaker then shifts his attention from the Nigerian army, the main villain of the production, to another foe: the jihadist group commonly referred to as Boko Haram. Ansaru’s jihad “is different from Boko Haram[‘s],” which “launches physical and bomb attacks at Muslims and public places such as mosques, markets, and motor parks,” the speaker says. “These acts are contrary to the teachings of Islam. In fact, jihad is prescribed to assist the wounded.”

 

(Snip)