The footage bears all the hallmarks of an Islamic State propaganda video- Shows Boko Haram fighters battling Nigerian troops in unknown location
- Captured soldier is forced to kneel before he is shot dead and decapitated
- Somali terror group Al-Shabaab's merger with Islamic State is 'imminent'
Boko
Haram has set a terrifying new precedent by releasing its first
gruesome video of a beheading since it pledged allegiance to ISIS.
The video adopts many of the same style-points as the hundreds of barbaric videos released by ISIS over the last year.
The
'west Africa' insignia in the top-left corner suggests the terror group
has set up a new so-called media wing in the country.
It
comes on the same day that MailOnline learned of a Somali terror
group's intentions to join ISIS - which would extend its so-called
caliphate to east-Africa.
Scroll down for video
Look of horror: A Nigerian soldier is made to kneel in front of three men after he was captured by Boko Haram
Murdered: The video then cuts to the man, who has been beheaded by the Islamic militants
Islamic
State accepted a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram, who were
responsible for the deaths of over 10,000 in Nigeria in 2014, in March
this year.
The
audio message entitled 'kill and be killed' - released through the
militants' vast social media channels - was read by an ISIS spokesperson
who also threatened further violence against the Christian and Jewish
communities.
Gloating: The video also shows the name tags of soldiers killed in the firefight between Boko Haram and army
Battle: The 10 minute video begins with a shoot out between the extremists and national forces
Mimic: This video is very like the ones Islamic State produce - even down to the logo in the corner
Speaking
for his leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the man in the recording says: 'We
announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to
West Africa.
'Our
caliph has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram
so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa.'
The
militants have been waging a six-year insurgency to impose strict
Shariah law in Nigeria and earlier this year it launched attacks across
the border on Cameroon - before striking Niger and Chad.
The
group has killed thousands in bomb attacks and violent sieges on
villages in the remote north-east, and are now feared to be spilling
over into neighbouring Cameroon and Chad.
It
inspired five African nations agreed to form a coalition to take the
group on and 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin
are expected to begin operations before the end of next month.
Only
today, MailOnline learned that Somali terror group Al-Shabaab could
soon scrap its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge loyalty to rivals ISIS
instead.
Islamic
State invited the east-African jihadi group to join forces with them
through a propaganda video released in March - urging it to wage jihad
on neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Militants: Somali terror group
Al-Shabaab (pictured) could scrap its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge
loyalty to rivals ISIS instead
Invitation: Islamic State urged the
east-African jihadi group to join forces with them through a propaganda
video (pictured) released in March
Territory: Al-Shabaab still controls
some territory inside Somalia and has executed 150 attacks on the Somali
military in June alone. It has also executed cross-border raids on the
Kenyan towns of Hulugho and Mandera - where it slaughtered over 50
peacekeepers in a single attack
Now
Al-Shabaab members and sources within the Somali army suggest the
invitation will be accepted and the group - which commands around 9,000
fighters - will soon extend ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate to
east-Africa.
The
decision comes at a time when many of Al-Shabaab's local and foreign
leaders are being killed by commando raids and drone strikes, the group
is rapidly losing territory and its money is running out as a result.
Security expert Ryan Cummings says that ISIS' desire to merge with Al-Shabaab is part of its international expansion plan.
'Al-Shabaab
is the largest jihadi movement in East Africa, and central to the core
mandate of ISIS is the unification of the Muslim world,' a
counter-terrorism expert told CNN at the time.
Ryan
Cummings added that a merger 'would be a significant ideological
victory for the group [ISIS]. It would be massive from a public
relations perspective, which is central to the Islamic State's
operations.
'The Islamic State still wants to create the perception that it's growing and branching out to various parts of the world.
The
only way that it will be able to achieve this will be to have groups
serving as an extension in their various areas of operation.'
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