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Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi rallies fighters in first message since Mosul offensive | Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi rallies fighters in first message since Mosul offensive |
(35 minutes later) | |
The leader of Isis has issued an audio recording calling on fighters to attack Iraqi forces as soldiers enter Mosul for the first time in two years. | The leader of Isis has issued an audio recording calling on fighters to attack Iraqi forces as soldiers enter Mosul for the first time in two years. |
In the recording, released by the Isis-backed Al-Furqan media, a voice claimed to be that of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi can be heard saying: “Do not retreat.” | |
“Holding your ground with honour is a thousand times easier than retreating in shame.” | |
It is thought to be the Isis leader's first address in more than a year. | |
“This … total war and the great jihad that the Islamic State is fighting today only increases our firm belief, God willing, and our conviction that all this is a prelude to victory,” Baghdadi says. | |
The northern Iraqi city is where the jihadi group declared its “Caliphate” in 2014. | The northern Iraqi city is where the jihadi group declared its “Caliphate” in 2014. |
Baghdadi called on the population of Mosul's Nineveh province to fight the “enemies of God” and told fighters to “beware of any weakness in facing your enemy”. | Baghdadi called on the population of Mosul's Nineveh province to fight the “enemies of God” and told fighters to “beware of any weakness in facing your enemy”. |
He also urged suicide fighters to “turn the nights of the unbelievers into days, to wreak havoc in their land and make their blood flow as rivers.” | He also urged suicide fighters to “turn the nights of the unbelievers into days, to wreak havoc in their land and make their blood flow as rivers.” |
Baghdadi has remained concealed for the last eight or nine months, but is believed to be still inside the city, a senior Kurdish official has told The Independent. | Baghdadi has remained concealed for the last eight or nine months, but is believed to be still inside the city, a senior Kurdish official has told The Independent. |
His exact whereabouts remain unclear, and the recording does not mention Mosul. However, he mentions the death of senior Isis leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, who was killed in Aleppo in August in a US airstrike, indicating the recording is less than two-months-old. | His exact whereabouts remain unclear, and the recording does not mention Mosul. However, he mentions the death of senior Isis leader Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, who was killed in Aleppo in August in a US airstrike, indicating the recording is less than two-months-old. |
Mosul is the group's last major stronghold in Iraq. The US-led coalition estimates there are 3,000 to 5,000 Isis fighters in the city. | Mosul is the group's last major stronghold in Iraq. The US-led coalition estimates there are 3,000 to 5,000 Isis fighters in the city. |
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