Nigerian Army Claims ‘Annihilation’ of ISIS Social Media Team

The Nigerian Army on Monday said its “gallant” troops killed nine “social media personalities” who were operating online on behalf of the Islamic State for West African Province.

ISIS West Africa formed out of the Boko Haram split in 2016.

“The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate,” the army continued in a statement. “The annihilation of members of its media team further confirms that the NA has decimated the group and they no longer have freedom of action.”

The names of those reportedly killed were released by the army: Abu Hurayra al-Barnawi, Ali al-Ghalam al-Kajiri, Abu Musab Muhammed Mustafa al-Maiduguri, Abu Abdullah Ali al-Barnawi, Abu Musa al-Camerooni, Ahmed al-Muhajir, Abu Ali al-Bamawi, Abu Khubayb bin Ahmed al-Barnawi, and Abu al-Qa’qa’ al-Maiduguri.

Nigerian Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai recently declared that ISIS West Africa had been defeated. Analysts, though, have reported throughout the year to date that ISIS West Africa, territorially based on the banks and islands of Lake Chad, has been growing in power and influence.

“By filling gaps in governance and service delivery, it has cultivated a level of support among local civilians that Boko Haram never enjoyed and has turned neglected communities in the area and islands in Lake Chad into a source of economic support,” the International Crisis Group noted in a mid-May assessment.

https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/terrorism-study/how-boko-haram-is-ripping-off-islamic-state-branding/

Bridget Johnson

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. A veteran journalist whose news articles and analyses have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe, Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor and a foreign policy writer at The Hill. Previously she was an editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and syndicated nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News. Bridget is a terrorism analyst and security consultant with a specialty in online open-source extremist propaganda, incitement, recruitment, and training. She hosts and presents in Homeland Security Today law enforcement training webinars studying a range of counterterrorism topics including conspiracy theory extremism, complex coordinated attacks, critical infrastructure attacks, arson terrorism, drone and venue threats, antisemitism and white supremacists, anti-government extremism, and WMD threats. She is a Senior Risk Analyst for Gate 15 and a private investigator. Bridget is an NPR on-air contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Observer, National Review Online, Politico, New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post, The Hill, Washington Times, RealClearWorld and more, and has myriad television and radio credits including Al-Jazeera, BBC and SiriusXM.

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