A man purported to be reclusive Islamic State (IS) group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has made reference to the Sri Lanka Easter bombings and an Australian IS member in what appears to be his first appearance in five years.
The recently-released propaganda video appears to offer evidence that al-Baghdadi is alive, after many had speculated he had been killed or seriously injured.
The US has vowed to track down and defeat surviving leaders of the Islamic State group after the release of the video.
In the video, a man purporting to be al-Baghdadi acknowledged defeat in the group’s last stronghold — the Syrian village of Baghouz — but vowed a “long battle” ahead.
A man purporting to be reclusive IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi makes his first appearance in five years in a propaganda video: https://t.co/9D8wu31u9n pic.twitter.com/DOgkTmGrmy
— ABC Religion&Ethics (@ABCReligion) April 30, 2019