Chad, Niger Launch Joint Offensive Against Boko Haram

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However, the official did not rule out the role money might have played in Boko Haram’s decision-making.

“Boko would not turn down any funding or material support; they are takers who give little in return,” the official said.

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, agreed that if the pledge was real, Boko Haram most likely had some extra motivation.

“There is almost certainly money involved in the deal,” he said.

There has been some evidence that despite a decline in revenues, the Islamic State group has been throwing money around in hopes of countering losses on the ground in Iraq.

“Islamic State has been trying to show that it has momentum by luring more affiliates,” Gartenstein-Ross said. “They have a business model that requires them to maintain the perception of momentum.”
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