In West Africa Thursday, an ISIS offshoot released a video reportedly showing the murder of a group of 11 Christians.
The alleged reason: retaliation for U.S. troops’ October killing of former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The BBC reports:
No details were given about the victims, who were all male, but [the Islamic State] says they were ‘captured in the past weeks’ in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State. It was released on 26 December and analysts say it was clearly timed to coincide with Christmas celebrations.
Purportedly, one terrorist in the video explained:
“This is a message to Christians all over the world.”
The 56-second clip contained extreme brutality via shooting and beheading.
Ahmad Salkida — a journalist who was first sent the video — noted one of the murderers hailed revenge:
“We killed them as revenge for the killing of our leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and (IS spokesman) Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir.”
According to the AFP, “Death to Christians” is a growing war cry:
In recent months, ISWAP has intensified its attacks on Christians, security personnel and aid staff, setting up roadblocks on highways and conducting searches. On Sunday, the jihadists killed six people and abducted five others including two aid workers when they intercepted vehicles on a highway on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
As for Friday’s illustration of murder, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killings, saying the country will not be divided by thinking IS represents Islam:
“We should, under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning Christians against Muslims because these barbaric killers don’t represent Islam and millions of other law-abiding Muslims around the world.”
Man’s capacity for violence against his fellow man is stunning. What can be said about these acts other than they’re harrowing?
Though evil will never be eradicated, the United States must stand against terrorism — wherever it exists.
As that fight continues — The Daily Wire notes — some groups are more likely to fall victim than are others:
At the beginning of the month, terrorists murdered 14 Christians at a church in the West African nation of Burkina Faso.
Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today, as tens of thousands of Christians are murdered every year due to their faiths.
-ALEX
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