Islamic State (ISIS) has released a video showing its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi making his first appearance since July 2014. The terror outfit has claimed that Baghdadi is alive. In the video, Baghadadi is seen sitting and talking to three individuals, whose faces have been blurred to deliberately conceal their identity. The video comes just days after the terror outfit claimed responsibility for one of the deadliest attacks in the history of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
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ISIL's Al Furqan network published the video on Monday in which it said that revenge would be sought for the death of its fighters. While the time of shooting the video is unclear, Baghdadi is seen referring to the end of the outfit's fight in Baghouz in Syria in the past tense, which indicates that the video may have been shot recently. "The battle for Baghouz is over," Al Jazeera translated him as saying.
In the video, Baghdadi is seen wearing a black robe and a beige vest. According to Al Jazeera, Baghdadi gave an 18-minute long speech. SITE Intelligence group, a website that claims to provide 'governments and institutions worldwide with verified, actionable intelligence and analysis on terrorist and extremist groups' — and which was cited by Al Jazeera in its report — cited that Baghdadi also made references to the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka in a separate segment.
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Al Jazeera also reported that Baghdadi referred to Sri Lanka attacks as a 'revenge' and said that 'there will be more to come after this battle' in what is believed to be in reference to the final fight at Baghouz. This is Baghdadi's first video since his 2014 sermon, in which he announced the formation of the self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria