ISIS leader makes call

ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in his first purported speech in almost a year, has called on his followers to persevere.

“For the mujahideen (holy warriors), the scale of victory or defeat is not dependent on a city or town being stolen or subject to that who has aerial superiority, intercontinental missiles or smart bombs,” Baghdadi says in a recording.

IS, which until last year controlled large areas in Syria and Iraq, has since been driven into the desert after successive defeats in separate offensives in both countries.