Leader of ISIS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a propaganda video, asserted that the battle for Baghouz, ISIS's final bastion in eastern Syria, "is over."
Baghouz, the last piece of populated land held by ISIS, which once spread across a third of Iraq and Syria, is roughly equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom and attracted 40,000 fighters to its cause."There will be more to come after this battle," said al-Baghdadi, apparently referring to the final fight in Baghouz.
Meanwhile, an audio message was also put out, purportedly of al-Baghdadi, saying that the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka, which left at least 253 people dead, was "vengeance" for ISIS's "brothers in Baghouz".
"Your brothers in Sri Lanka have healed the hearts of monotheists [ISIS members] with their suicide bombings, which shook the beds of the crusaders during Easter to avenge your brothers in Baghouz," al-Baghdadi was reportedly heard saying.
"Our battle today is a war of attrition to harm the enemy, and they should know that jihad will continue until doomsday," he mentioned in the video.
Wearing a black robe with a beige vest, al-Baghdadi gave an 18-minute address in the video. However, it is unclear when the footage was filmed.
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