Nigeria: Militant Group Has New Leader

Wilayat al Sudan al Gharbi, the Nigeria-based militant group better known as Boko Haram, has a new leader, BBC reported Aug. 3. Abu Musab al-Barnawi has taken over for former leader Abubakar Shekau, according to a new interview in al-Naba, a magazine published by the Islamic State. In the interview, al-Barnawi, a former spokesman for Boko Haram, said his group remained a threat in the region. The militant group has relied more heavily on terrorist attacks and insurgent tactics as it has lost much of the territory it once controlled.