Boko Haram is West Africa's Al-Qaeda, says Nigerian President

Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which has kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls, is no longer a local threat but has become West Africa's Al-Qaeda, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Saturday.

"Boko Haram is no longer a local terrorist group, it is operating clearly as an Al-Qaeda operation, it is an Al-Qaeda of West Africa," Jonathan told a news conference in Paris following a meeting of West African leaders on the issue.

"We have shown our commitment for a regional approach. Without West African countries coming together we will not be able to crush these terrorists," Jonathan said.