ISIS supreme leader al-Baghdadi calls on fighters to stand firm during Mosul battle
The Islamic State’s (ISIS) supreme leader and self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Thursday called on his followers to keep up the fight, to not flee, and to attack Turkish forces in Iraq and Syria, while his caliphate is increasingly losing territory under attack by Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Mosul.
This is the first audio tape released by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi since December last year, Aranews.net reports.
The key ISIS deputy and spokesperson Mohammed al-Adnani was killed in al-Bab in August this year.
Under the banner “this is what God and his Messenger have promised us“, al-Baghdadi’s 30-minute audio statement called on his followers who cannot go to Syria and Iraq to head to Libya.
He also called on his followers to obey their emirs, and pay more attention to sins than to the enemies.
In a surprising statement, the ISIS head for the first time called for attacks on Turkey inside Iraq and Syria, calling Turkey an ‘apostate’ state.
Al-Baghdadi’s statement comes four days after the US ordered Istanbul consulate staff members to leave Turkey, fearing ISIS attacks.
The ISIS leader also called for attacks on Saudi Arabia.
He also demanded the ‘soldiers of the caliphate’ to stand firm in front of coalition jets, and said
that the coalition was formed after they saw Muslims lived under the caliphate in dignity.
Al-Baghdadi considered the number of forces aligned to fight ISIS as a testament to the strength of ISIS.
The ISIS leader cited a Quranic verse, says the “coalitions” amassed to storm Mosul are evidence of what God has promised the Muslims.
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s statement is the fastest in tempo and strongest among his speeches, clearly wants fiercest fighting to protect areas,” Hassan Hassan, co-author of NYT bestseller
‘ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror’ said.
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi reassures followers that stronger enemies doesn’t mean they’re better
and calls on them not to flee the battlefield,” he added.
Furthermore, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi tried to frame the war as a sectarian war between Shiites and Sunnis, according to Rita Katz, Director of SITE Intelligence Group.
Al-Baghdadi said that the Shiites are trying to do everything to take over the power in Iraq, suggesting ISIS is the only solution.