‘IS’ leader al-Baghdadi releases alleged new voice recording

The recent audio is of 24 minutes in length in which the leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said the USA won’t come to fight the enthusiasts because “their hearts are full of fear from the mujahideen”.

“If this coalition was Islamic, it would have staged a war against the Alawites and the Russians in Syria, it would have announced war against the Shiites and the Kurds in Iraq”, al- Baghdadi said, calling on Saudi citizens to join Islamic State.

“The Israelis thought that we forgot Palestine and that they had distracted us from it”, he seemed to taunt, adding, “That is not the case”.

The leader called upon all the Muslims to join the fight as it was their Islamic duty.

The authenticity of the audio could not be independently confirmed but it was posted on IS-affiliated websites and Twitter as past IS messages.

The voice is said to be the self-proclaimed leader of the terror group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In addition, government troops in Iraq have intensified their attacks to regain the city of Ramadi from the militants.

He also promises a battle aimed at Israel and in support of Palestinians, who have been in conflict for centuries in the Middle East.

“We are getting closer to you day by day”, said the message. Baghdadi made his first and last public appearances in the summer of 2014 in the Iraqi city of Mosul – which remains in the iron grasp of ISIS.

The Pentagon says the United States hit Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria with 17 airstrikes on Christmas Day.

Last week, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the USA and allies, recaptured the Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates River, further impeding Islamic State access to the Turkish border through the town of Manbij.

The Islamic State is still in competition with Al Qaeda in the Middle East, according to Kronos Advisory.

Tishrin Dam is about 22 kilometers (14 miles) north of the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

Sounding a bit like a football coach trying to rally a losing team at halftime, the Islamic State leader downplayed the damage from Western-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.

In his audio message, al-Baghdadi also slammed Saudi Arabia’s initiative to create an Islamic coalition against the terrorist group. His death, in an raid claimed by President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, was seen as dealing a heavy blow to the almost fi ve-year uprising and also complicating a fragile peace process.