Boko Haram leader appears in new video, saying there is no way Muslim can work with Christians

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has appeared in a new video, claiming responsibility for new terrorist attacks in Nigeria and declaring that there is no way that Muslims and Christians can work together in peace.

In the video, Shekau took credit for abducting Nigerian policewomen and accused Islamic clerics in Nigeria of wrongly interpreting the Quran.

"You have to be careful because Quran has divided mankind into three; some are believers, some are Hypocrites and some are non-believers. There is no way we Muslims in mosques and Christians in churches can work together," Shekau said in the video, according to Vanguard. "This has never happened before even during the lifetime of all apostles of the prophet," he added.

The 14-minute video also showed footages of how the group carried out an ambush of a military-escorted convoy of travelers along Maiduguri-Damboa road last June. Premium Times reported that the ambush resulted in the abduction of 16 women, who were believed to be police officers.

"So, this is to tell you that we did the Damboa road ambush; and the operation had put a lie to all claims of Nigeria soldiers, the police and other top government officials that they have finished Boko Haram. But the Damboa road ambush had made it clear that they have been telling lies to the world. A liar can never be victorious here and in hereafter," the terrorist leader said.

There had been rumors that Shekau had died and that the Boko Haram's leadership had splintered in two, but the head of the terror group had insisted that he is still in charge.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian authorities have described the footage released by Boko Haram as false and denied that policewomen are being held by the terror group.

Isuku Victor, the public relations officer for Borno State Police Command, stated that two officers are currently missing, but noted that there is no evidence in the video indicating that they are being held by Boko Haram.

The terror group has been responsible for killing 20,000 people, including Christians and Muslims, since 2009, when it began its insurgency against the Nigerian government.

In 2015, Boko Haram has been declared in the Global Terrorism Index as the deadliest terrorist group in the world, responsible for 6,644 deaths that year, surpassing the 6,073 death count by the Islamic State.

The group has bombed churches and government buildings while vowing to drive out Christians from Nigeria.

The Nigerian army said that it has made significant advances against the terror group this past year, adding that it is advancing its mission to eradicate them from the country.