Boko Haram May Have Links to IS Group, Say US, UN

The UN Security Council on Friday expressed alarm at the extremist group Boko Haram's linkages with the Islamic State group, condemning all terrorist attacks by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region.

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Little is known about the extent of cooperation between the two radical Islamist groups. But Western governments worry that Islamic State's growing presence in north Africa and ties with Boko Haram could herald a push south into the vast, lawless Sahel region and create a springboard for wider attacks.

U.S. deputy secretary of state Antony Blinken also said Friday there is a probable link between the two terrorist groups, which may share material and logistical aid: “We’ve seen that Boko Haram’s ability to communicate has become more effective. They seem to have benefited from assistance from Daesh,” he said, using a derogatory term for the Islamic State group. “So these are all elements that suggests that there are more contacts and more cooperation, and this is again something that we are looking at very carefully because we want to cut it off.”

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The United States is sending armored vehicles to Nigeria, which also requested aircrafts to help fight Boko Haram. U.S. officials told Reuters this month Washington wants to sell up to 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to Nigeria in recognition of President Muhammadu Buhari's army reforms. Congress needs to approve the deal.

Under Buhari's predecessor Goodluck Jonathan, the United States had blocked arms sales, partly due to human rights concerns.

Blinken said Nigeria had made several requests for military hardware. "We are looking very actively at these requests," he said.

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The comments came ahead of the Second Regional Security Summit on Saturday in Abuja, Nigeria to evaluate the regional response to the threat posed by Boko Haram with a view to adopting a comprehensive strategy to address the crisis.

The Security Council also urged member states participating in the joint force to counter Boko Haram to enhance regional military cooperation to deny safe haven to the group and allow humanitarian access.

Boko Haram's insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions. The 15-nation council also expressed its deep concern about the alarming scale of humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram in the region, noting that 2.2 million Nigerians are internally displaced. 

Nigeria is heading up a multinational joint task force along with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin, which was set up in March 2015. Earlier this month, Nigerian troops commenced large-scale operations to flush out Boko Haram terrorists from their Sambisa forest hideout in restive Borno, north-eastern Nigeria.