Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of links between Boko Haram and other Islamic extremist groups in Africa.

We believe there have been links between Boko Haram and AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb). Boko Haram's off-shoot Ansaru is also believe to have had connections. However, we assess that Boko Haram's main motivation remains the end of democratic government and creation of an Islamic State in Nigeria.