Abu Musab al-Barnawi

Abu Musab al-Barnawi
BornBorno or Yobe, Nigeria[1]
AllegianceBoko Haram (2002–2013, ?–2015)
Ansaru (c. 2013)
Islamic State – West Africa Province (from 2015)
Rank
  • Leader of ISWAP (formerly)
  • Head of the ISWAP's shura
  • Member of the IS global shura (allegedly)[2]
Battles / warsBoko Haram insurgency

Abu Musab al-Barnawi, born Habib Yusuf,[3] is a Nigerian Islamic militant who served as the leader of the Islamic State's branch in West Africa (ISWAP) between August 2016 and March 2019, and again around May 2021. He also served in various other capacities within ISWAP such as head of its shura. Before pledging allegiance to IS, al-Barnawi was the spokesperson for Boko Haram. Multiple sources reported that al-Barnawi was killed in 2021, but later research by the Crisis Group, Humangle Media, and others proved that these claims were inaccurate.

  1. ^ Omeni 2020, pp. 50–51.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference human122022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Murtala Abdullahi (26 May 2021). "Shekau's Last Message Throws Light On Links With Global Terror Groups, ISWAP Offensive". Humangle. Retrieved 30 May 2021.