ABU WHO?

Dear Readers:

In an attempt to stay up-to-date on what is going on with ISIS and BOKO Haram lately we had several people from the Perspective Naked News Department give us the low-down on the latest press releases that have been issued by these terrorist groups.

Yesterday Abu Musab al-Barnawi, whom ISIS named the new head of Boko Haram, pointed out that it was unclear what happened to its old leader, Abu Bakr Shekau, who hadn’t been heard since August 2015.

Well we got an answer today: A recording purportedly from Shekau in which he says he’s still in charge.

The speaker, in the 10-minute recording, says he hasn’t been replaced as the head of Boko Haram, and appears to distance the group from ISIS—even though he refers to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS, as “caliph. (In March 2015, Shekau pledged allegiance to Baghdadi.)

He said that some in Boko Haram had stopped him communicating with al-Baghdadi. “I was asked to send my ideology in writing to the caliph but it was manipulated by some people in order to achieve their own selfish interests,” he added, describing a coup attempt against him.

He said he had sent eight different letters to IS leaders but they did not act on them, only to hear the news that he had been replaced. He then described al-Barnawi and his followers as polytheist.

The reported split is the latest to hit the group, but could have severe implications because Boko Haram has suffered major losses in recent years to the Nigerian government and its allies plus they are running low on virgins for the troops!

Now we don't know what's going on right now with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, or Abu Bakr Shekau, or Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, or Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, or Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, or Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi, but as soon as we get it all sorted out you will be the first to know! (In the meantime we are going to suggest to ISIS that they get shorter names if they want us to continue to keep score!)

Abubakar Shekau, the former leader of Boko Haram.