Boko Haram Leader Dead: IS-Linked Group

Two weeks after reports about his death, it’s now widely believed that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shakau is dead. The group has said nothing but Al-Bernawi, leader of the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), said in a statement that Shekau killed himself by detonating an explosive when he was trapped in a firefight with ISWAP. The latter broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 and pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Boko Haram gained notoriety when it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls from Nigeria’s Chibok town