Bk Haram
Overview Backgrund f Bk Haram 2009 Uprising Leadership Areasf Operatin & Factins Malian Cnflict & State f Emergency Freign Terrrist Organizatin Designatin Tactics Abductins Al Qaeda Links? Future Implicatins
Bk Haram: Backgrund Frmed in 2002 in Maiduguri, Brn state Muslim cleric Mhammed Yusuf Official Arabic Name Jama atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda awati wal Jihad Peple Cmmitted t the Prpagatin f the Prphet s Teachings and Jihad Initially fcused n ppsing Western educatin Bk Haram, Western Educatin is Frbidden Image Credit: BBC
Bk Haram: Backgrund Established a religius cmplex Msque, Islamic schl Pr Muslim families Eventually became fcused n establishing an Islamic state in Nigeriai Schl became recruiting grund Againstany any Western plitical r scial activity Vting in electins, wearing shirts and trusers, receiving secular educatin Fighters currently numbering in the hundreds t thusands
2009 Uprising Bk Haram carried ut spate f attacks Targeted gvernment buildings and plice statins in Maiduguri and Bauchi state Prmpted sht uts n the streets in July 2009 Hundreds d f Bk Haram supprters killed Residents fled Maiduguri Security frces seized Bk Haram s headquarters Captured Bk Haram fighters and killed Yusuf Fighters regruped under new leadership Abubakar Shekau, current leader
Abubakar Shekau Brn in Shekau village in Ybe state Late 30s t mid 40s Believed respnsible fr making Bk Haram mre vilent Nt seen in public since the death f Yusuf Emerges in vides and pictures nline Met Yusuf thrugh Mamman Nur Nur masterminded August 2011 bmbing f United Natins cmplex in Abuja Image Credit: AFP
Abubakar Shekau Fluent in Kanuri, Hausa and Arabic Nw adds English t his vides Des nt cmmunicate directly with ft sldiers Cmmunicates with select cell leaders Als serves as Bk Haram s spiritual leader Well versed in thelgy Image Credit: NY Pst U.S. ffering $7 millin fr infrmatin abut his lcatin
Areas f Operatin & Factins First cnfrntatins with Nigerian security frces ccurred in 2003 and 2004 2003: Cmpund lcated tw miles frm Niger 2004: Near Gwza in the Mandara Muntains alng Camern brder Bk Haram suffered lsses Sent members t the Sahel, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan t receive funds 2009 death f Yusuf Bk Haram members fled t Nigeria s brder regin, the Sahel, Smalia, Chad and Sudan
Areas f Operatin & Factins 2010 t 2012 Bk Haram based in Maiduguri and nrtheastern regin f Nigeria Other members received training frm al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and al Shabaab and established cells in nrthwestern Nigeria Frmatin f Ansaru (nrthwestern cells) Led by AQIM militant Khalid al Barnawi Specialized in sphisticated bmbings, hallmarks f al Qaeda Bk Haram claimed all attacks until al Barnawi led a cell that kidnapped an Italian and British engineer in March 2012 Claimed the attack under al Qaeda in the Lands Beynd the Sahel January 2012: Al Barnawi frmed Bk Haram ff sht, Ansaru Brke ff frm Bk Haram t prtest killing f 186 Muslim civilians in Kan
Areas f Operatin & Factins Kan remained under influence f Mamman Nur (UN headquarters attack mastermind) Secnd in cmmand t Shekau Received training frm AQIM and al Shabaab Attacked un Islamic targets UN headquarters Plt n the U.S. ambassadr in Abuja Bmbed mtr parks in Kan and Abuja Mre transnatinal than Shekau Image Credit: Nairaland.cm
2011 Attack n United Natins Headquarters August 26, 2011 Car bmbingkilled at least 21 peple, 60 injured Headquarters fr 400 UN emplyees Unclear hw many were in the building at the time Only attack against the West Image Credit: Reuters
Malian Cnflict, Influence n Bk Haram Main Bk Haram shifted tward Brn state in 2013 French military interventin in Mali in January 2013 believed t have revitalized Bk Haram March t May 2013 Members f Bk Haram, Ansaru and thers wh learned frm militants in Mali launched attacks alng Brn s brder with Niger and Camern Munted weapns n 4x4 vehicles, kidnapped gvernment fficialsandand relatives in exchange fr ransms f $10,000 t $300,000 First time in Nigeria
State f Emergency in 3 Nrtheastern States In respnse t vilence in early 2013, Nigerian President Gdluck Jnathan issued state f emergency in May Brn, Ybe and Adamawa states Bk Haram members left Maiduguri and retreated frm nrtheastern Brn and Lake Chad t muntainus rural areas near Gwza (suthern Brn) Gwza is lcated abut 15 miles frm Chibk where the schlgirls were abducted Gwza cnsidered t be a Bk Haram strnghld nw
Freign Terrrist Organizatin Designatin Bk Haram and Ansaru designated freign terrrist rganizatins by the U.S. Department f State Nvember 2013 Bk Haram Ansaru Links t AQIM, respnsible fr killing thusands, targeted the UN headquarters Kidnapped and executed seven internatinal cnstructin wrkers Prhibits prviding r attempting t prvide material supprt
Tactics Armed militants strming cities/twns/villages n mtrbikes Kill plice, pliticians, anyne criticizing the insurgency Armed with heavy machine guns, rcket prpelled grenades, night visin gggles, satellite phnes Bmbings (planted/car/suicide) Disguises Churches, bus statins, military barracks, restaurants Often wear fficial military unifrms t trick their victims Snap rad blcks Increase in attacks n villagers and travelers since August 2013 Abductins
Abductins April 14 250+ schlgirls taken frm a schl in Chibk, Brn state Reprts that Bk Haram may have transferred girls t Camern, Chad and Central African Republic Image Credit: BBC
Abductins May 5 Bk Haram releases a videff Shekau Annuncing the girls wuld be sld as slaves in the market Image Credit: The Guardian May 12 Demanded the release f Bk Haram militants held in Brn, Ybe, Kan, Kaduna, Enugu, Lags and Abuja in exchange fr the girls Image Credit: NBC
Internatinal Respnse t Abductins U.S. Intelligence, surveillance and recnnaissance supprt 16 trps frm Africa Cmmand at U.S. embassy in Abuja wrking with FBI and intelligence teams t advise Nigeria s security frces 80 U.S. trps in Chad U.S., UK, France China Israel Advisry team using aerial surveillance, satellite intercepts Vwed t help in the search Intelligence experts sent t Nigeria
Internatinal Respnse t Abductins Thursday, June 12 Internatinal meeting in Lndn Nigeria s Freign Minister Aminu Bashi Wali Envys frm Benin, Chad, Camern, Niger UK, U.S., France, Canada, Eurpean Unin Cnsider further measures t imprve reginal crdinatin
Recent Attacks Over 3,300 killed by Bk Haram s far this year April 14, Abuja Bmb buried undergrund expldes at bus statin in Nyanya suburb; 71 killed, 124 injured May 1, Abuja Car bmb kills 19, injures 60 at bus statin in Nyanya suburb May 6, Js (central Nigeria) Tw bmbings kill mre than 120 peple May 30, Gwza (Brn state) Emir f Gwza killed June 2, Gwza (Brn state) Three villages raided, d at least t200 peple killed
Links t al Qaeda? Knwn links t AQIM and al Shabaab in the past Remain lcally fcused N signs f glbal fcus Cnsidered t extreme fr al Qaeda brand Killing f Muslim civilians ili Kidnapping f yung girls Abubakar Shekau stated Bk Haram s aspiratins f jining al Qaeda Image Credit: NPR N public respnse frm al Qaeda leadership
Implicatins N signs f vilence abating Attacks nearly a daily ccurrence since abductins Kidnappings likely t cntinue Anther 20 wmen and three men abducted frm Garkin Fulani settlement last Thursday Abductins culd aid Bk Haram recruitment effrts Raised the grup s internatinal prfile Increased internatinal pressure Bk Haram may seek t target Western interests in suthern Nigeria r abrad Bk Haram has the ability t destabilize Nigeria fr years t cme
Questins? MSA Intel MSAIntel@msasecurity.net 212.509.1336 ext. 250