A rallying cry from Mr. Baghdadi
- August 31st, 2019
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For the first time in nearly five years, the Islamic State has released a rare video of their homicidal, suicidal, genocidal leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Baghdadi had not been seen publicly since July 2014, when ISIS released a video that showed him speaking at the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul, Iraq. In that video, he declared himself caliph and leader of the Muslims with the declaration of the caliphate. A lot has changed on the battlefield for the Islamic State since that first video. No longer do they control vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. The newly released video comes on the heels of the defeat of the Islamic State’s territorial caliphate in Syria. What does the new Baghdadi video mean? The video tells me many things. From a tactical perspective, I believe that Baghdadi felt something had to be done to boost the morale of his fighters. Baghdadi’s long absence from public view portrayed him as a distant leader to some of his fighters. Reports surfaced that ISIS fighters were furious that al-Baghdadi was nowhere to be found as their caliphate crumbled. In the video, Baghdadi goes to great lengths to assure his soldiers and followers that he has not abandoned the caliphate. The point Baghdadi wants to make is that he’s relevant and still in charge. He’s telling the world that ISIS is still a force to be reckoned with. He also doesn’t want ISIS to be seen as a dying force because he’s competing with other rival jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda. On a more fundamental level, he’s attempting to prove to his followers that he’s still alive despite numerous reports speculating about his death.
A rallying cry from Mr. Baghdadi to his supporters.
Christopher T.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48098528
Baghdadi video in full with English subtitles
https://bit.tube/play?hash=QmcpbAjjHm1vz3knBKWwjio5SnB1e2koBkQUdn7aovoi8q&channel=251530