DOWNLOAD VIDEO: Boko Haram Releases First Beheading Video

The footage bears all the hallmarks of an Islamic State propaganda video Shows Boko Haram fighters battling Nigerian troops in unknown location.

Captured soldier is forced to kneel before he is shot dead and decapitated

Somali terror group Al-Shabaab's merger with Islamic State is 'imminent'

Boko Haram has set a terrifying new precedent by releasing its first gruesome video of a beheading since it pledged allegiance to ISIS.

The video adopts many of the same style-points as the hundreds of barbaric videos released by ISIS over the last year.

The 'west Africa' insignia in the top-left corner suggests the terror group has set up a new so-called media wing in the country.

It comes on the same day that MailOnline learned of a Somali terror group's intentions to join ISIS - which would extend its so-called caliphate to east-Africa.


Look of horror: A Nigerian soldier is made to kneel in front of three men after he was captured by Boko Haram

Murdered: The video then cuts to the man, who has been beheaded by the Islamic militants

The ten minute-long propaganda video begins with what appears to be an intense firefight against Nigerian soldiers.

Boko Haram fighters exchange machine gun fire with the troops and launch heavy mortar grenades on their locations.

It shows them standing proudly next to the corpses of scorched Nigerian troops - and showing off their security badges to the camera.

The video ends with the senseless murder of a captured African Union soldier. With a look of true horror on his face, the man kneels in front of three masked Boko Haram fanatics - two of whom point AK47s at his head.

The video then cuts to reveal his decapitated body lying motionless on the floor.

Islamic State accepted a pledge of allegiance from Boko Haram, who were responsible for the deaths of over 10,000 in Nigeria in 2014, in March this year.

The audio message entitled 'kill and be killed' - released through the militants' vast social media channels - was read by an ISIS spokesperson who also threatened further violence against the Christian and Jewish communities.

Boko Haram release first video since pledging allegiance to ISIS


Gloating: The video also shows the name tags of soldiers killed in the firefight between Boko Haram and army

Battle: The 10 minute video begins with a shoot out between the extremists and national forces

Mimic: This video is very like the ones Islamic State produce - even down to the logo in the corner

Speaking for his leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the man in the recording says: 'We announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to West Africa.

'Our caliph has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa.'

The militants have been waging a six-year insurgency to impose strict Shariah law in Nigeria and earlier this year it launched attacks across the border on Cameroon - before striking Niger and Chad.

The group has killed thousands in bomb attacks and violent sieges on villages in the remote north-east, and are now feared to be spilling over into neighbouring Cameroon and Chad.

It inspired five African nations agreed to form a coalition to take the group on and 8,700 troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin are expected to begin operations before the end of next month.

Only today, MailOnline learned that Somali terror group Al-Shabaab could soon scrap its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge loyalty to rivals ISIS instead.

Islamic State invited the east-African jihadi group to join forces with them through a propaganda video released in March - urging it to wage jihad on neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Militants: Somali terror group Al-Shabaab (pictured) could scrap its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge loyalty to rivals ISIS instead

Invitation: Islamic State urged the east-African jihadi group to join forces with them through a propaganda video (pictured) released in March

Territory: Al-Shabaab still controls some territory inside Somalia and has executed 150 attacks on the Somali military in June alone. It has also executed cross-border raids on the Kenyan towns of Hulugho and Mandera - where it slaughtered over 50 peacekeepers in a single attack

Now Al-Shabaab members and sources within the Somali army suggest the invitation will be accepted and the group - which commands around 9,000 fighters - will soon extend ISIS's self-proclaimed caliphate to east-Africa.

The decision comes at a time when many of Al-Shabaab's local and foreign leaders are being killed by commando raids and drone strikes, the group is rapidly losing territory and its money is running out as a result.

Security expert Ryan Cummings says that ISIS' desire to merge with Al-Shabaab is part of its international expansion plan.

'Al-Shabaab is the largest jihadi movement in East Africa, and central to the core mandate of ISIS is the unification of the Muslim world,' a counter-terrorism expert told CNN at the time.

Ryan Cummings added that a merger 'would be a significant ideological victory for the group [ISIS]. It would be massive from a public relations perspective, which is central to the Islamic State's operations.

'The Islamic State still wants to create the perception that it's growing and branching out to various parts of the world.

The only way that it will be able to achieve this will be to have groups serving as an extension in their various areas of operation.'

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