The Islamic terror organisation ISIS has released its latest propaganda film in which their chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi makes an appearance for the first time in as many as five years.
In the video, al-Baghdadi says that the group will seek revenge for the killing and imprisonment of its fighters. While it is unclear when the video was shot, al-Baghdadi refers to Baghouz, the last bastion of ISIS which fell last month after a long battle, in the past tense. He reportedly says that the battle of Baghouz may be over, but there is more yet to come.
Wearing black robe and a beige jacket with an assault rifle next to him, al-Baghdadi could be seen addressing three men, faces of whom have been blurred. Al-Baghdadi also refers to the Sri Lanka bombings from last Sunday which was one of the deadliest terror attacks in Sri Lanka in recent times.
Last time al-Baghdadi appeared in a video was in 2014 when he delivered a sermon at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq. Following Mosul, ISIS took over Syrian city Raqqa and made it its de facto capital.
In the video, al-Baghdadi also talks about the pledges of allegiance from militants in Burkina Faso and Mali. Adding that ‘jihad’ is the only solution to “tyrants”, al-Baghdadi also talks about Sudan and Algeria.
Born in 1971 in Samarra, Iraq, Baghdadi, he has been a specially designated global terrorist and with a bounty of USD 25 million on his head, al-Baghdadi is the world’s most wanted man. Despite rumours of his death surfacing every few months, his whereabouts continue to remain a mystery.