(AFP) \u2013 Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for an attack on a key
\nmilitary barracks in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, in a new video
\nobtained on Monday by AFP that warns of further bloodshed, including
\nagainst civilians.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe carried out the attacks in Maiduguri (on March 14),\u201d said a man
\ndressed in white, wearing black headgear and carrying an assault rifle,
\nclaiming to be the group\u2019s leader, Abubakar Shekau.<\/p>\n
The man appeared younger, thinner and with different mannerisms from older
\nvideos, which could prompt fresh questions about whether the militant
\nleader, who had previously been reported killed, is still alive.<\/p>\n
Shekau has been declared a global terrorist by the United States, which
\nput a $7 million (5.1-million-euro) bounty on his head. Nigeria has
\nseparately offered 50 million naira ($300,000) for information leading to
\nhis capture or death.<\/p>\n
He was reported to have been killed in a gun battle in the northeast
\nbetween July 25 and August 3 last year, although a man resembling him has
\nfeatured in a number of videos since then.<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s military has yet to confirm officially whether Shekau is still
\nalive and defence spokesman Chris Olukolade has said that whoever was
\nmaking the claims in the videos was immaterial.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not the issue in this matter. They\u2019re all terrorists,\u201d he told AFP
\nin a March 14 interview.<\/p>\n
In the latest video, which was obtained via the same channels as previous
\nstatements, the man claiming to be Shekau speaks for 37 minutes in the
\nlocal Hausa and Kanuri languages, as well as Arabic.<\/p>\n
Footage then follows showing what appear to be heavily armed Boko Haram
\nfighters arriving in pick-up trucks and firing on the Giwa barracks with
\nassault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(AFP) \u2013 Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for an attack on a key military barracks in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, in a new video obtained on Monday by AFP…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22031,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n