The Islamic
State has released a video purportedly showing the brutal execution of 11
blindfolded Christians in Nigeria, the day after Christmas, in revenge for the
killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and IS spokesman Abdul-Hasan
al-Muhajir.
“This
is a message to Christians all over the world,” says a masked man from the
Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), in the 56-second clip released the
Amaq news agency, a platform for Islamic State propaganda.
“We
killed them as revenge for the killing of our leaders, including Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi and [IS spokesman] Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir.”
The footage,
filmed in an unidentified outdoor area, shows one captive who is shot dead
while the other 10 are pushed to the ground and beheaded, according to the BBC.
Here is a
clip of the video which cuts off before the reported executions.
ISWAP, which
severed ties with insurgent group Boko Haram and pledged allegiance to Baghdadi
in 2016, has intensified its attacks on Christians, security personnel and aid
staff in recent months – including the use of checkpoints to stop and search
travelers.
The group
claimed in a statement that six soldiers and eight civilians, including two Red
Cross workers, were among those abducted in that attack. Last week the group
released a video showing 11 alleged hostages.
One of the
hostages in the video who identified himself as a school teacher said that he
and the other hostages appealed to the Nigerian government and the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) to help secure their release, according to the
report.