Boko Haram’s Pledge Seen as Propaganda Coup for Islamic State

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Boko Haram’s attempt to set up an Islamic state in northern Nigeria appears to be failing, in a sign the group may have overreached militarily. It has lost control of scores of towns and villages in recent weeks, pounded by a 10,000-strong regional force, including the armies of Chad, Niger and Cameroon alongside Nigeria.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow with a Washington-based counter-terrorism institute, the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, said Islamic State needs to create a perception of constant expansion so it can attract the recruits it needs to replace fighters on its many battlefronts in Syria and Iraq.

“As I've noted, IS has a deeply flawed business model. Since it is at war on all sides, it needs to constantly replenish its ranks,” he wrote in a series of tweets reacting to the Boko Haram announcement.

”To continue to draw zealous recruits, IS needs to maintain the perception of momentum. It has lost that in Iraq/Syria, with losses mounting. Hence, IS's attempts to show momentum have shifted from Iraq and the Levant to international expansion. Boko Haram is a big prize in that regard,” he wrote.
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