Who are Boko Haram and what are their goals?

By Iain Fraser — Managing Editor

Defence & Security Review

www.DefenceandSecurityReview.com

Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād “Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad” and Wilāyat Garb Ifrīqīyā meaning “West African Province”, is a jihadist terrorist organization based in northeastern Nigeria and active in Chad, Niger and northern Cameroon.

Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002, the group has been led by Abubakar Shekau since 2009, although it splintered into other groups after Yusuf’s death and also in 2015. When the group was first formed, their main goal was to “purify” Islam in northern Nigeria, believing jihad should be delayed until the group was strong enough to overthrow the Nigerian government. Since March 2015, the group has been aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group has been known for its brutality and since the insurgency started in 2009, Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 2.3 million from their homes and was at one time the world’s deadliest terror group according to the Global Terrorism Index. Click here to have the full report sent direct to your inbox

Originally published at https://www.defenceandsecurityreview.com.