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ISIS Releases Video of Reclusive Leader ISIS’ Mysterious Leader Is Not Dead, New Video Shows
(32 minutes later)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Islamic State released a video on Monday of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who praised the bombers who killed more than 250 people in Sri Lanka on Easter and vowed that his group would keep fighting until “Judgment Day.” BEIRUT, Lebanon — Five years ago, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi mounted the pulpit of a mosque in Iraq to declare himself the head of a rapidly expanding terrorist organization.
The video was the first time Mr. al-Baghdadi has shown his face while addressing his followers in five years, since the early days of the terrorist group’s rampage through Iraq and Syria. Since then, his group, the Islamic State, has transfixed the world with its apocalyptic violence while he has remained a mystery. Spottings were rare. Rumors swirled that he was wounded or dead. The United States put $25 million on his head and still failed to find him.
In an 18-minute video released by an Islamic State media group and distributed by the SITE Intelligence Group, Mr. al-Baghdadi sits on the ground in an Arab-style sitting room, his elbow perched on a pillow as he calmly speaks to a group of unidentified followers with an assault rifle at his side. On Monday, he reappeared, leaning on a cushion with an assault rifle at his side, in a video seeking to rally his followers after the loss of the group’s territory in Iraq and Syria and its execution of one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in years, on Easter in Sri Lanka.
He acknowledges that the group has lost its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria but says that the group’s battle with the West and its allies was far from over. “Our battle today is a battle of attrition, and we will prolong it for the enemy, and they must know that the jihad will continue until Judgment Day,” he said in the video.
“Truthfully, the battle of Islam and its people with the crusader and his people is a long battle,” he said. He called on his followers to continue pursuing their enemies “with all of their abilities.” The message he intended to send was clear, analysts said: The Islamic State still exists, he is still in charge and its international network of militants will continue to launch painful, unpredictable attacks. If he felt compelled to reveal himself now, after years in hiding, they said, it was to reassert his authority in the face of a punishing loss in Syria.
“Our battle today is a battle of attrition, and we will prolong it for the enemy, and they must know that the jihad will continue until Judgment Day,” he said. “Baghdadi has remained off the grid for so long that his sudden appearance will very likely serve as both a morale boost for ISIS supporters and remaining militants and as a catalyst for individuals or small groups to act,” said Colin P. Clarke, a senior fellow at the Soufan Center, a research organization for global security issues. “He is essentially reasserting his leadership and suggesting that he sits atop the command and control network of what remains of the group, not only in Iraq and Syria, but more broadly, in its far-flung franchises and affiliates.”
It was unclear when or where the video was recorded but the parts that refer to recent events, like the Sri Lanka attack, are addressed in audio, not video, suggesting that it may have been recorded weeks ago with newer audio portions added later.
Much has changed for the Islamic State since Mr. al-Baghdadi appeared at Al Nuri Grand Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. It was not just a militant group, he said, but a state that would be ruled according to the group’s extreme ideology.
That vision drew in tens of thousands of adherents from across the world, who populated an Islamist proto-state the size of Britain, stretching across Iraq and Syria with millions of people under its rule.
Now that territory is gone, after a four-year battle that ended in defeat last month at the hands of American-backed forces in the town of Baghuz, Syria.
[Where the U.S. won the battle against ISIS, it risks losing the peace.][Where the U.S. won the battle against ISIS, it risks losing the peace.]
The Islamic State lost the last of the territory it controlled in Iraq and Syria, the town of Baghuz, last month, but the group is believed to still have thousands of fighters there who have gone underground. Mr. al-Baghdadi acknowledged that loss in the video, an 18-minute infomercial released by an Islamic State media group on Monday and distributed by the SITE Intelligence Group. Seated cross-legged on the ground in an Arab-style sitting room, he calmly told a group of unidentified followers that the battle was far from over.
As it lost territory in the Middle East, the Islamic State has expanded abroad, turning to its international affiliates to carry out attacks further afield. The coordinated bombing attack in Sri Lanka last week was one of the group’s deadliest, causing nearly twice as many deaths as the 2015 Paris attacks did. “Truthfully, the battle of Islam and its people with the crusader and his people is a long battle,” he said. He called on his followers to continue pursuing their enemies “with all of their abilities.”
The authenticity of the video released Monday could not be independently confirmed but most counterterrorism experts who have reviewed it concluded that it was authentic. And he said that the attack in Sri Lanka, in which at least 250 people were killed, was carried out “in revenge” for the Islamic State’s losses in Baghuz.
The video was Mr. al-Baghdadi’s first video message to his followers since 2014, when he mounted the pulpit of the Nuri Mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul to claim his title as caliph, or leader of the world’s Muslims, after the group had declared the caliphate. The Islamic State was then near the height of its power, when it ruled a territory the size of Britain with a population of millions of people. The video appeared at a critical inflection point for the Islamic State.
The toll of the years since then show on Mr. al-Baghdadi’s face. In the video, he appears to have put on weight, and gray has spread throughout his beard, its ends dyed auburn with henna. Despite claims that the loss of the so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria had vanquished the group, it is believed to still have thousands of fighters there who have gone underground.
The video appeared to be an effort to to demonstrate that despite his group’s tremendous losses, it is still active and he is paying attention. He made passing references to the Israeli election and the toppling of longtime strongmen in Sudan and Algeria. And as it lost territory in the Middle East, it has expanded abroad, turning to its international affiliates to carry out attacks further afield. The coordinated bombing attack in Sri Lanka last week was one of the group’s deadliest, causing nearly twice as many deaths as the 2015 Paris attacks did.
He also called out a number of the group’s leaders by name, mentioning fighters and operatives from Belgium, Australia and Saudi Arabia, reflecting the multinational organization it has become. Little is known about where and how Mr. al-Baghdadi spent the last five years. He has rarely appeared in public, and while he released occasional audio messages to guide to his followers, he never appeared in videos, the assumption being that such caution was considered necessary for his security.
The toll of those years was evident on Mr. al-Baghdadi’s face. In the video, he appears to have put on weight, and gray has streaked his beard, its ends dyed auburn with henna.
Despite being one of the most wanted men on the planet, his whereabouts remains a mystery.
He is believed to be in hiding somewhere in the sparsely populated desert spanning the border between Iraq and Syria. American intelligence and counterterrorism officials say he eschews all electronic devices, which could identify his location, and likely communicates through a series of couriers.
He remains a top target for the Central Intelligence Agency and the military’s elite Joint Special Operations Command, which includes the Army’s Delta Force and the Navy’s SEAL Team Six. Occasional reports of his death notwithstanding, multiple attempts to kill him have failed.
The video appeared to be an effort to demonstrate that despite his group’s tremendous losses, it is still active and he is paying attention. He made passing references to the Israeli election and the toppling of longtime strongmen in Sudan and Algeria.
He also called out a number of the group’s leaders by name, mentioning fighters and operatives from Belgium, Australia and Saudi Arabia, reflecting the multinational organization the Islamic State has become.
“He’s exhibiting his ‘humble and modest’ self, unlike his last appearance where he is portrayed in what may be referred to as glorious standing, empowered by his group’s achievements, essentially standing at the top of the world,” said Laith Alkhouri, senior director of Flashpoint, which tracks global terrorism. “In today’s video, he appears defeated, but for his base he’s uplifting.”“He’s exhibiting his ‘humble and modest’ self, unlike his last appearance where he is portrayed in what may be referred to as glorious standing, empowered by his group’s achievements, essentially standing at the top of the world,” said Laith Alkhouri, senior director of Flashpoint, which tracks global terrorism. “In today’s video, he appears defeated, but for his base he’s uplifting.”
In a portion of the video where Mr. al-Baghdadi speaks but is not seen, he mentioned more recent events than the loss of the group’s territory in Syria: an attack on a security office in Zulfi, Saudi Arabia, and the bombings in Sri Lanka, which his group had already claimed. The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified but terrorism experts saw little reason to doubt that it was Mr. al-Baghdadi.
He said the attacks were carried out “in revenge” for the loss of Baghuz. The Islamic State has not used frequent videos to create a cult of personality around its leader the way that Al Qaeda did with Osama bin Laden, but it could be heading in that direction, said Joshua Geltzer, who served as the senior director for counterterrorism on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council.
Terrorism experts saw little reason to doubt that the man in the video was Mr. al-Baghdadi and said his appearance sought to rally his followers for the future.
“This strikes me as an attempt to shore up global community in the face of territorial losses,” said Joshua Geltzer, who served as the senior director for counterterrorism on President Barack Obama’s National Security Council.
The Islamic State has not used frequent videos to create a cult of personality around its leader the way that Al Qaeda did with Osama bin Laden, but it could be heading in that direction, Mr. Geltzer said.
“I guess they considered the payoff worth it to show the organization hasn’t truly been defeated, even in its core manifestation,” he said.“I guess they considered the payoff worth it to show the organization hasn’t truly been defeated, even in its core manifestation,” he said.
It was unclear when or where the video was recorded but the fact that the most recent events were addressed in audio and not video suggested that it may have been filmed weeks ago, with the audio portions citing recent attacks added later.
Despite being one of the most wanted men on the planet, Mr. al-Baghdadi remains shrouded in mystery.
He is believed to be in hiding somewhere in the sparsely populated desert spanning the border between Iraq and Syria, where he avoids the use of technology like cellphones that could help his many enemies track him. Multiple attempts by the United States and its allies to kill him have failed.
While he has not released a video message in years, he has often addressed his followers through audio. Last August, the Islamic State released an audio recording said to be of him.
Although the group has lost its territory in Iraq and Syria, it still claims a caliphate, which it considers a global project.Although the group has lost its territory in Iraq and Syria, it still claims a caliphate, which it considers a global project.
Hinting at the group’s global ambitions, the video ended with a follower handing Mr. al-Baghdadi files in plastic covers about the group’s different “states,” in Yemen, Somalia, Turkey and elsewhere.Hinting at the group’s global ambitions, the video ended with a follower handing Mr. al-Baghdadi files in plastic covers about the group’s different “states,” in Yemen, Somalia, Turkey and elsewhere.