IS leader resurfaces after nearly a year, calls for jihad
BEIRUT: The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-baghdadi, has called on Muslims to wage “jihad” in a purported new audio recording.
He also called for attacks in the West in the Telegram message on Eid ul-adha on Wednesday, which comes as IS has lost most of its territory in Iraq and Syria. It is the first purported recording of the IS leader to be released since September last year.
“Those who forget their religion, patience, jihad against their enemies, and their certainty in the creator’s promise lose and are disgraced,” the leader said. “But when they hold on to it, they are mighty and victorious, even if after a certain time.”
IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a “caliphate” in areas they controlled. But they have since lost most of that to various offensives in both countries.
The “caliphate will remain, God willing”, Baghdadi, however, said in the recording, addressing followers in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
It was not clear when the message was recorded, but Baghdadi appeared to criticise a $100-million pledge by Saudi Arabia last week to help rebuild Syria’s northeast.
He threatened the United States and Russia, who have both backed offensives against IS, saying that the jihadists had prepared “horrors” for them.
Speaking of war-torn Syria, he criticised rebel fighters for agreeing to surrender deals with the Damascus regime, and called on opposition fighters to join his jihadist group.
Baghdadi has been pronounced dead on several occasions, but an Iraqi intelligence official said in May that he remains alive in Syrian territory by the Iraqi border.
Baghdadi was said to move around with only a small group of followers. Originally from Iraq, Baghdadi has been dubbed the “most wanted man on the planet” and the United States is offering a $25 million reward for his capture.