Nigeria's Islamist sect Boko
Haram released a video purporting to show it beheading two men, its
first online posting using advanced graphics and editing techniques
reminiscent of footage from Islamic State.
The
film, released on Monday, shows militants standing behind the two men
who are on their knees, their hands tied behind their backs, with one
man standing over them, holding a knife.
One
of the men is made to tell the camera that they had been paid by
authorities to spy on the militant group, before the film moves to
another scene showing their decapitated bodies. It was not possible to
confirm the film's authenticity or date.
The
footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a
clerical movement focused on northeast Nigeria, is expanding its scope
and seeking inspiration from global militant networks including al Qaeda
and Islamic State.
The
militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in their bid
to carve out an Islamist state in their homeland, have in recent months
stepped up cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Nigeria's
President Goodluck Jonathan has said Boko Haram is allied to both al
Qaeda and its offshoot Islamic State, though that has not been confirmed
by the group itself.
The
Boko Haram film's use of graphics, the footage of black-clad militants
with a black flag, and the editing to show only the aftermath of the
beheading, were particularly reminiscent of footage from Islamic state,
which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and killed several
hostages.
In the film, one of
the men says he comes from Baga in Borno state, and the other says he
is from Michika in Adamawa state, both areas where the army says it has
recently recaptured territory from Boko Haram.
Past
Boko Haram films have been much cruder affairs, often featuring a man
identified as leader Abubakar Shekau talking more about local gripes
than global jihad. A number of recent releases have included much more
gruesome footage of beheadings.
(Reporting By Isaac Abrak Writing by Julia Payne Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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