The leader of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group has appeared in a video for the first time in five years.
The video — released by the IS’s media outlet, Al-Furqan, on April 29 — shows Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appearing with an unkempt, bushy gray and red beard while sitting on the floor against a wall. He is wearing a black robe with a light vest over it and has a machine gun near his right arm.
Three masked men are seen listening to him speak.
Baghdadi — speaking slowly and often pausing — says the IS group will gain revenge for the killing and imprisonment of its fighters.
He says his group’s operations against the West are a “long battle.”
It is unknown where the 18-minute video was taken and both Iraqi and U.S.-backed forces are seeking to capture the extremist leader.
A State Department spokesman said it will review the recording and allow the “intelligence community to confirm its authenticity.”
He added that the U.S.-led coalition will “ensure an enduring defeat of these terrorists and that any leaders who remain are delivered the justice that they deserve.”
Baghdadi, 47, last appeared in a video while delivering a sermon at the Al-Nuri Mosque in 2014 in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which had been taken by IS forces when they swept over large swathes of Iraq and Syria. It was during that speech that he declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.
The SITE Intelligence group said Baghdadi spoke in the video about the conclusion of the battle in Baghuz, which was the last IS stronghold in Syria before falling to the U.S.-backed forces.
A date on the video said it had been recorded in April. But the authenticity and date of the video cannot be verified.
Baghdadi also discussed the recent bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250 people and claimed those attacks were carried out in retaliation for the fall of Baghuz.
“This is part of the revenge waiting for the crusaders,” he added.
Baghdadi has been reported killed or injured several times in recent years.
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Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
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Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also known as Abu Du’a, also known as Ibrahim ‘Awwad Ibrahim ‘Ali al-Badri, is the senior leader of the terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The threat that al-Baghdadi poses has increased significantly since the Department of State’s initial $10 million reward offer for information leading to his location, arrest, or conviction was announced in 2011. In June 2014, ISIL (also known as Da’esh) seized control of portions of Syria and Iraq, declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, and named al-Baghdadi as caliph. In recent years, ISIL has gained the allegiance of jihadist groups and radicalized individuals around the world, and has inspired attacks in the United States.
Under al-Baghdadi, ISIL has been responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East, including the brutal murder of numerous civilian hostages from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Al-Baghdadi has taken credit for numerous terrorist attacks in Iraq since 2011, killing thousands of his fellow Iraqi citizens. The group also has launched terrorist attacks beyond the borders of its self-declared caliphate. In November 2015, two ISIL suicide bombings in Beirut left 43 dead and 239 wounded. That same month, ISIL carried out seven coordinated attacks in Paris – killing at least 130 and injuring more than 350 others. In March 2016, ISIL terrorists killed at least 34 people in Brussels – including four U.S. citizens – and injured more than 270 others.
Al-Baghdadi is designated by the Department of State as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224. He is also listed at the United Nations Security Council ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.
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