Boko Haram Goes The IS Way

The residents of Gulak were terrified when Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram surrounded the township . But surprisingly, the militants said that they would not harm anyone and had come there to stay.

This attempt to win over the victims by stating they did not mean any harm is a first in the group's five-year history. Boko Haram is known for its brutal attacks to prove its authority over the locals.

 The militants raised jihadist flags - like the rebels of the Sunni militant group of the mid-east 'Islamic State' had done after announcing its caliphate, The Independent reports.

In August, Boko Haram released a video in which its leader Abubakar Shekau is making a unique claim: he declared that they had taken control of the city of Gwoza and added it to "the Islamic caliphate".

Boko Haram has carried out violent attacks and mass kidnappings and has maintained its stronghold in the northeastern part of the country.

The Islamic State militants claimed an "Islamic caliphate" in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon on June 29, 2014, and declared head of the group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the "caliph". Now, it seems  Boko Haram is following suit.

According to Mother Jones, a few experts tried assessing the situation and concluded that the exact meaning of the claim could not be determined; however, it could mean two things - either the group had declared its own caliphate in Nigeria, or it had pledged allegiance to the so-called 'Islamic State' ISIS.

Even as the West is busy overthrowing the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the claim by Boko Haram is going largely unnoticed. However, the major concern here is if the two militant groups merge and sound the same claim, it will be very difficult for the international community to counter them.