ABUJA, NIGERIA: (BosNewsLife and IDC) Militants of the Islamic State group (IS) have released a video purportedly showing the murder of 11 Christians in Nigeria’s Borno State on Christmas Day.

In the gruesome video, one man is shot before the other ten beheaded. A masked man in the almost one-minute video claimed the killings were part of their recently declared campaign to avenge the deaths of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his spokesman.

Al-Baghdadi committed suicide in October to avoid capture during a raid by the United States special forces on his hideout in the province of Idlib, northwestern Syria.

In response, IS claimed several attacks in various countries this month alone.

The latest short video was released on December 26th and timed to coincide with Christmas celebrations. It was filmed in an unidentified location.

TERROR CAMPAIGN

No details are known about the victims, who were all male. But IS said they were kidnapped over recent weeks in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State.

One faction of Nigeria’s Islamist Boko Haram terrorist organization now fights under the banner of the Islamic State of West Africa Province or ISWAP.

Last year, ISWAP killed two midwives it had previously taken hostage.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

Islamic State has been linked to the executions of many Christians in recent years.

Meanwhile from Washington, In Defense of Christians (IDC), the nation’s leading advocacy organization for Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East, calls on the U.S. and the international community to investigate the attack in Nigeria, which saw the killing of 11 Nigerian Christians, 1 of whom was shot and 10 of whom were beheaded. IDC also calls on the Nigerian government to respond with vigilance to prosecute the attackers, support victims, and ensure Christians and other religious minorities can worship safely and freely. 

On December 26, IS released a video showing 11 victims they claimed were kidnapped from Nigeria's north-eastern Borno State. It was released to strike fear in the hearts of Nigerian Christians during Christmas celebrations and the group claims it was also an act of vengeance for the killing of IS leaders such as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

IDC calls on the United States and the international community to respond to the threat that IS continues to pose to Christians and churches across the globe. “Christians across the world continue to face persecution at record numbers and it is imperative that the global community prioritize the safety and religious liberty of Christians in global hotspots of persecution. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families,” said IDC President Toufic Baaklini.