{"id":4505,"date":"2013-05-31T07:26:08","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T07:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/army-shekau-video-tiger\/"},"modified":"2013-05-31T07:26:08","modified_gmt":"2013-05-31T07:26:08","slug":"army-shekau-video-tiger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/army-shekau-video-tiger\/","title":{"rendered":"Army: Shekau Video Tiger"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nigeria\u2019s military on Thursday described Boko Haram chief, Abubakar Shekau as a video tiger, dismissing as \u201cempty propaganda\u201d claims by the Boko Haram\u2019s leader that soldiers have retreated during an ongoing offensive.<\/p>\n

The military insisted that the campaign has heavily damaged the Islamist insurgents.<\/p>\n

In a video obtained by AFP on Tuesday,\u00a0 Shekau said soldiers have at times \u201cturned and ran\u201d when facing Islamist fighters and rejected military boasting about the success of the operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe consider it as empty propoganda,\u201d defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade said of the video.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the best of our understanding, at the moment (the insurgents) are in disarray. They are on the run and so many of them have been captured,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n

He declined to provide figures of those captured or killed in the operation launched on May 15 after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, three northeastern states considered Boko Haram strongholds.<\/p>\n

Shekau\u2019s whereabouts, which cannot be determined in the video, remain unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know his location but I know that intelligence is trailing him,\u201d Olukolade said.<\/p>\n

Shekau called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join the fight to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Olukolade suggested the plea for foreign assistance implied weakness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they are still firmly on ground why does he need help?\u201d<\/p>\n

The United States and analysts have voiced concern over the prospect of widespread civilian casualties during the operation, with Nigeria\u2019s military having been accused of massive abuses in the past.<\/p>\n

Olukolade told AFP he has seen no credible evidence of soldier misconduct in the offensive.<\/p>\n

With the military having cut mobile phone service in much of the northeast and access to remote locations restricted, rival claims about the conflict have been impossible to verify.<\/p>\n

Olukolade said that air strikes used so far have primarily included covering fire for ground troops tasked with storming Boko Haram camps.<\/p>\n

The military has claimed the destruction of several such camps, primarily in Borno state, Boko Haram\u2019s traditional base.<\/p>\n

Boko Haram has waged its insurgency since 2009, with an estimated 3,600 lives lost, including killings by the security forces.<\/p>\n

The group has pushed for the creation of an Islamic state in Africa\u2019s most populous nation and largest oil producer, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.<\/p>\n

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