What Does Boko Haram’s ‘Allegiance’ To Islamic State Group Mean For The West?

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Shekau

Boko Haram is believed to be the largest Islamist militant organisation to align itself with the Islamic State group after swearing allegiance over the weekend. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look at the implications of the new union.

2015 Predictions For Islamist Terrorism Worldwide

In 2014, we saw the threat of al Qaeda continue to spread via affiliate groups in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. We also witnessed the unexpected resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq. According to global risk firm Verisk Maplecroft, terrorism-related deaths worldwide increased by almost 25% between Nov 1, 2013, and Oct 31, 2014. What's in store for 2015? Here's what we can expect of Islamist terrorism in the coming year:

British Woman Jailed for Trying to Fund Terrorism

Amal El-Wahabi arrives at The Old Bailey in London, on Aug. 13. El-Wahabi is the first person in the U.K. found guilty of funding Syrian terrorism. Photographer: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

A woman has been jailed in Britain after being convicted of trying to send cash to her jihadi husband fighting in Syria.

Social Media Savvy Terrorists Send ‘90 Tweets Per Minute’ - Saudi-Based Group

An average of 90 tweets from terrorists are sent each minute, according to a survey conducted in October by the Saudi-based Sakinah awareness campaign.

Britain's Spy Chief Accuses United States Tech Firms Of Aiding Terrorism

GCHQ Director - Robert Hannigan

Technology giants such as Facebook and Twitter have become "the command and control networks of choice" for terrorists and criminals but are "in denial" about the scale of the problem, the new head of GCHQ has said.

British Extremists Fighting For 'The Islamic State' (ISIS) Are The 'Most Vicious and Vociferous' - Expert Says

British extremists are among the "most vicious and vociferous fighters" in Islamic State (Isis) ranks in Syria and Iraq, a jihadism expert has said.
Sunni Muslims from the UK are taking part in the conflicts "in every way", according to Shiraz Maher from King's College London's International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.

'Freewheeling Violence By Jihadists' Caused Shutdown of US Embassy in Libya - Kerry

The U.S. State Department was forced to suspend operations at its embassy in Libya because of "freewheeling militia violence" there, Secretary of State John Kerry said today.

Kerry, who spoke to reporters before a meeting with the Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers about Gaza , made
the comments after the State Department announced it evacuated its staff in Tripoli.
He blamed the "freewheeling militia violence," caused by Jihadist groups which have only grown in power since
the ouster of former president Muammar Gaddafi, for creating an environment in which the diplomatic
activities at the Libya embassy had to be suspended.

"A lot of the violence is around our embassy but not on the embassy, but nevertheless it presents a very real
risk to our personnel," Kerry said.
As a result, embassy personnel were transported in vehicles escorted by U.S. military guards and helicopters to Tunisia and dispersed throughout the
region from there.
Kerry insisted the special envoy to the region, David Satterfield, would continue to engage with his British
counterpart, and that the U.S. embassy personnel would return as soon as the situation stabilized.

But he stressed the need for Libyans to engage in a peaceful political process in order to permanently change the tide of violence in the violence-ridden nation.
"We're very, very hopeful that those people will recognize that the current course of violence will only bring chaos and possibly a return of difficulties," said Kerry.

The State Department also issued a travel warning for Libya and urged Americans there to leave.
The groups in Tripoli have been fighting for weeks, with dozens killed and wounded on all sides.
The withdrawal comes two years after a deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi.

ABC News