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The head of the Islamic State released a message encouraging forces in the fight for Mosul, which they are defending against Iraqi forces, according to a U.S. organization that monitors militant activity online said Thursday.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi spoke in a more than half an hour long audio recording released on Wednesday. According to Reuters, the recording showed his confidence in a victory.
The city of more than one million people and surrounding territory fell to ISIS fighters during a surprise attack in June 2014. Al-Baghdadi visited the city after the takeover, and from inside Mosul, declared an Islamic caliphate that at one point covered nearly a third of Iraq and Syria.
originally posted by: Kalixi
I was taken aback as well when I saw the news that he's calling for more attacks. I specifically remember the news announcing that he was assassinated 2 weeks ago. This isn't some sore of Mandela Effect bs and I am certain that he was pronounced dead as he has such an unusual name.
This must be a case of mistaken ID when they thought he was terminated
We announce we are going in a month ahead of time and the leaders slip away....again.
Given that Mosul is in a theater in which the Russians (the only force which have proven actually effective against IS in any significant regard, or with any rigor at all) have no active role at the moment, it should be no wonder that the arch bastard Baghdadi remains at large.