Boko Haram Leader Claims Responsibility For Dec. 20 Barracks Attacks

The leader of Boko Haram sect,Abubakar
Shekau, has claimed a daring December 20
raid on a military barracks in the restive
northeast, in a video obtained by AFP Friday.
The insurgents stormed the barracks in the town
of Bama in a convoy of trucks before sunrise,
opened fired on the soldiers inside then torched
the compound. Several witnesses said the
gunmen kidnapped soldiers as well as women
and children.
"Our fighters stormed the Bama barracks,"
Shekau said, while seated on a mat and flanked
by a group of armed men.
Shekau has released a series of videos since
taking control of the rebel group more than
three years ago. The latest recorded statement
was delivered to AFP through the same channel
as previous messages.
"This is a victory from Allah," said the wanted
insurgent leader after claiming to have
destroyed "21 armoured tanks" and killed
"multitudes" in the raid.
The military has not released a death toll from
the barracks attack and rescue agencies have
largely been barred from working in the
northeast since a state of emergency was
declared in the area in May.
According to the defence ministry, more than 50
"terrorists" were killed when ground forces
backed by fighter jets pursued the fleeing
Islamists after the raid.
Residents told AFP that an unknown number of
civilians were killed and four villages destroyed
during the military response.
Shekau has been declared a global terrorist by
the United States, which put a $7 million (5.1
million euros) bounty on his head. Nigeria has
separately offered 50 million naira ($300,000)
for information leading to his capture or death.
In the video, Shekau appeared to mock the
notion that one of his loyalists would betray him
in exchange for a reward.
"What is 50 million naira? We do not worship
money. As for those who are in our midst, Allah
has taken care of them," he said.
The Bama attack was the second major strike on
the military in the northeast this month and was
seen as a reminder that more than seven
months into a military offensive aimed at
crushing the insurgency, Boko Haram remains
capable of striking high profile targets.
The group's four-year insurgency, which seeks
to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's mainly
Muslim north, has killed thousands.