Islamic State announces new Boko Haram leader in Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who is threatening to bomb churches and kill Christians while ending attacks on mosques and markets used by ordinary Muslims, according to an interview published Wednesday by the Islamic State group.

The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major shift in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have killed many more Muslims than Christians in attacks in mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen.

There have also been attacks on crowded marketplaces in predominantly Muslim areas and the killings and kidnappings of school children.

The announcement indicates a coup by Boko Haram breakaway group Ansaru against Shekau, and follows a trend of extremist Islamic groups moving away from al Qaeda to the Islamic State, analyst Jacob Zenn said.

Under Shekau, the seven-year insurgency spread to neighboring countries, killed more than 20,000 people and drove more than 2.2 millon from their homes, and created what aid workers are calling a catastrophic humanitarian emergency with children dying of starvation daily.