A new Islamist group is emerging in Nigeria claiming to be a splinter sect of the militant group Boko Haram. The group, Ansaru, has reportedly killed seven foreigners that it kidnapped in northern Nigeria, although there has been no confirmation from government officials.
Three Lebanese nationals and four others from the UK, Greece, Italy, and the Philippines were said to have been taken hostage on February 16 from the Lebanese company Setraco’s construction site. The group claimed it killed the foreigners via an online message after British warplanes were said to have been seen in the area. “As a result of this operation, the seven hostages were killed,” the group said in the statement. The UK’s Ministry of Defense said that the planes were taking Nigerian troops and equipment to Bamako, Mali to aid the French intervention in the country.
The group also claimed responsibility for the December 19 kidnapping of French national, Francis Colump. The employee from the renewable energy company Vergnet is still missing.
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