How Boko Haram Courted
and Joined the Islamic State
By SARAH ALMUKHTAR JUNE 10, 2015

Boko Haram, the radical Islamic sect that controls parts of Nigeria,
became the largesthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/11/world/africa/boko-haram-isis-propaganda-video-nigeria.html?_r=0affiliate of the Islamic State in March, after months
of strengthening its media presence and courting the jihadist group.
Before the Islamic State
Boko Haram’s few early videos were of low quality and were disseminated haphazardly. They featured the erratic behavior of the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, and were so badly edited that at least one rival jihadist group used a clip from a Boko Haram video to mock Mr. Shekau.
Clips from a Boko Haram video dated April 18, 2013, which begins with credits to the militant group’s communication department. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
Sending a Signal to ISIS
After the Islamic State announced its goal to build a caliphate, Mr. Shekau actively expressed support for Islamic State leadership. In July 2014, Boko Haram began adding the Islamic State’s flag and signature Islamic chant to its videos.
A month later, Mr. Shekau described territory Boko Haram had recently seized as a dawla, or a state, of Islam. Jacob Zenn, an analyst at The Jamestown Foundation, says this phrase was a clear reference to the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.
August 24, 2014. Boko Haram video, via AFP
ISIS Responds
In an issue of its online magazine released in October, the Islamic State acknowledged ideological alignment between the groups when it cited Boko Haram’s kidnapping of schoolgirls as a precedent for its own enslavement of Yazidi girls.
Remembering One Leader and Imitating Another
By November 2014, the dramatic changes in Boko Haram’s propaganda indicated that the group had “shifted almost completely into the Islamic State’s orbit,” according to Mr. Zenn. One new, higher quality video was produced by a media agency and showed archival footage of Boko Haram’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, for the first time since his death in 2009, expressing his original intent to create an Islamic state.
Days after that release, another Boko Haram video showed Mr. Shekau in a mosque, dressed in traditional imam’s clothing, in a setting that mimicked the announcement of the creation of the Islamic State by its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Boko Haram video also included footage of Mr. Baghdadi himself.
November 10, 2014. Boko Haram video, via AFP
Boko Haram Joins Twitter
In January 2015, Boko Haram created its own media outlet and opened its first Twitter account under the name al-Urwa al-Wuthqa, or “the Incessant Handhold.” The account allowed the group to release content more regularly, about every three to four days, and connect to the Islamic State’s online network. The interaction between Boko Haram's new Twitter account and those of known members of the Islamic State suggested a growing nexus. For example, a video first uploaded by a person known to be associated with ISIS was immediately released by Boko Haram's Twitter account, and then reposted by other known ISIS Twitter accounts.
Boko Haram’s new videos were more stylish and of much higher quality, with special effects and translation into English and French. Experts have suggested that the Islamic State may have sent media producers to Nigeria or that Boko Haram video footage was sent to Libya, the Middle East or even Europe for production and editing.
January 27, 2015. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
ISIS Accepts Boko Haram’s Pledge
In February, United States officials confirmed that the Islamic State was likely to have sent representatives to Nigeria to negotiate its relationship with Boko Haram. Mr. Shekau pledged Boko Haram’s allegiance to the Islamic State in an audio recording released in March that followed a script typically used by other affiliates of the Islamic State. Less than a week later, an Islamic State spokesman announced Mr. Baghdadi’s acceptance of Mr. Shekau’s pledge. Other ISIS affiliates released celebratory videos to welcome the “Nigerian mujahedeen.”
March 12, 2015, in Raqqa, Syria. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
A New Video After Two Months of Silence
Soon after its pledge to the Islamic State, Boko Haram stopped releasing videos and its Twitter account was disabled. Analysts believe that the recent counterinsurgency effort by Nigeria, Chad and Niger forced Boko Haram to retreat on some fronts and may have curtailed its media production.
After two months without new videos, the group released a new video on June 2 under the name Wilayat West Africa. In it, Boko Haram refutes claims that it had lost territory.

sartorius:
How Boko Haram Courted
and Joined the Islamic State
By SARAH ALMUKHTAR JUNE 10, 2015

Boko Haram, the radical Islamic sect that controls parts of Nigeria,
became the largesthttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/11/world/africa/boko-haram-isis-propaganda-video-nigeria.html?_r=0affiliate of the Islamic State in March, after months
of strengthening its media presence and courting the jihadist group.
Before the Islamic State
Boko Haram’s few early videos were of low quality and were disseminated haphazardly. They featured the erratic behavior of the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, and were so badly edited that at least one rival jihadist group used a clip from a Boko Haram video to mock Mr. Shekau.
Clips from a Boko Haram video dated April 18, 2013, which begins with credits to the militant group’s communication department. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
Sending a Signal to ISIS
After the Islamic State announced its goal to build a caliphate, Mr. Shekau actively expressed support for Islamic State leadership. In July 2014, Boko Haram began adding the Islamic State’s flag and signature Islamic chant to its videos.
A month later, Mr. Shekau described territory Boko Haram had recently seized as a dawla, or a state, of Islam. Jacob Zenn, an analyst at The Jamestown Foundation, says this phrase was a clear reference to the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.
August 24, 2014. Boko Haram video, via AFP
ISIS Responds
In an issue of its online magazine released in October, the Islamic State acknowledged ideological alignment between the groups when it cited Boko Haram’s kidnapping of schoolgirls as a precedent for its own enslavement of Yazidi girls.
Remembering One Leader and Imitating Another
By November 2014, the dramatic changes in Boko Haram’s propaganda indicated that the group had “shifted almost completely into the Islamic State’s orbit,” according to Mr. Zenn. One new, higher quality video was produced by a media agency and showed archival footage of Boko Haram’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, for the first time since his death in 2009, expressing his original intent to create an Islamic state.
Days after that release, another Boko Haram video showed Mr. Shekau in a mosque, dressed in traditional imam’s clothing, in a setting that mimicked the announcement of the creation of the Islamic State by its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The Boko Haram video also included footage of Mr. Baghdadi himself.
November 10, 2014. Boko Haram video, via AFP
Boko Haram Joins Twitter
In January 2015, Boko Haram created its own media outlet and opened its first Twitter account under the name al-Urwa al-Wuthqa, or “the Incessant Handhold.” The account allowed the group to release content more regularly, about every three to four days, and connect to the Islamic State’s online network. The interaction between Boko Haram's new Twitter account and those of known members of the Islamic State suggested a growing nexus. For example, a video first uploaded by a person known to be associated with ISIS was immediately released by Boko Haram's Twitter account, and then reposted by other known ISIS Twitter accounts.
Boko Haram’s new videos were more stylish and of much higher quality, with special effects and translation into English and French. Experts have suggested that the Islamic State may have sent media producers to Nigeria or that Boko Haram video footage was sent to Libya, the Middle East or even Europe for production and editing.
January 27, 2015. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
ISIS Accepts Boko Haram’s Pledge
In February, United States officials confirmed that the Islamic State was likely to have sent representatives to Nigeria to negotiate its relationship with Boko Haram. Mr. Shekau pledged Boko Haram’s allegiance to the Islamic State in an audio recording released in March that followed a script typically used by other affiliates of the Islamic State. Less than a week later, an Islamic State spokesman announced Mr. Baghdadi’s acceptance of Mr. Shekau’s pledge. Other ISIS affiliates released celebratory videos to welcome the “Nigerian mujahedeen.”
March 12, 2015, in Raqqa, Syria. Boko Haram video, via Aaron Y. Zelin
A New Video After Two Months of Silence
Soon after its pledge to the Islamic State, Boko Haram stopped releasing videos and its Twitter account was disabled. Analysts believe that the recent counterinsurgency effort by Nigeria, Chad and Niger forced Boko Haram to retreat on some fronts and may have curtailed its media production.
After two months without new videos, the group released a new video on June 2 under the name Wilayat West Africa. In it, Boko Haram refutes claims that it had lost territory.

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