JOHANNESBURG, March 16, 2017: An organisation that monitors extremist groups says Boko Haram has released a video showing the killing of three accused spies by gunshot and beheading.

The SITE Intelligence Group said in a statement Thursday that a fighter in the video uploaded Monday calls those killed "agents" of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

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SITE points out that while the video opens with images used by so-called "provinces" of the Islamic State group, it comes from Boko Haram's own production unit. SITE says this indicates the group has "some degree of autonomy." One faction of Boko Haram is allied with the Islamic State group.

Nigeria's president declared the Boko Haram insurgency "crushed" late last year, but its fighters continue to threaten the vast region around Lake Chad in defiance of a multinational force. (VOA)