Islamic state They plan to attack Tanzania

ISIL courts al-Shabab as al-Qaeda ties fade away
Recent ISIL communications show attempts to secure influence in East Africa - the stronghold of al-Shabab and al-Qaeda.

Nigeria's Boko Haram swore allegiance recently to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in an audio message with French and English subtitles.

What most failed to notice was a few weeks earlier an "emissary" of ISIL sent a public invitation to the emir of al-Shabab in Somalia, Abu Ubaidah, urging him to do the same.

The emissary was Hamil al-Bushra, the nom de guerre used by two media outlets that have been described by Washington Institute for Near East Policy fellow Aaron Zelin as "official semi-official accounts" from ISIL.

In the message Bushra praised the "brothers in Somalia" and encouraged them to attack "inside Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia". He told Abu Ubaidah all that is needed to pledge loyalty to ISIL is for the al-Shabab media wing, al-Kataib, to issue an audio message.