Boko Haram Not A Branch Of Al Qaeda – US Reveals

The government of the United States has said that the dreaded Boko Haram sect, is not a branch of the global terrorist organization, Al Qaeda.

This was revealed in a statement by the US Consulate General in Lagos on Monday, quoting the US under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Wendy Sherman, as saying this on the sidelines of the France security summit which held in Paris on Saturday.

Speaking to journalists alongside US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield; and the US State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator, Tina Kaidelow, Sherman explained that though the terrorists group around the world are known to have links, Boko Haram should be treated as its 'own terrorist group.'

"In this day and age, there is probably no terror group that does not have some links somehow, even if tenuous, to some other organization. But for the most part, we treat Boko Haram as its own terror organization," Sherman said.

He added that UN sanctions on Boko Haram could be as quick as this week, as Boko Haram has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Sherman also said the US is committed to supporting the Nigerian government in ensuring that the abducted Chibok school girls are brought back alive as the issue has become a global issue, adding that all efforts were being put in place to ensure that the West Africa sub-region is not turned to a breeding ground for terror.

President Jonathan had during the security summit hosted by French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Saturday described the Boko Haram, as the “al Qaeda of West Africa.”

Source: Legit.ng