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After not being heard or seen, the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who was believed to be shot at, has released a message to supporters.
The 35-minute audio message posted on militant websites features a voice that sounds like al-Baghdadi’s exhorting all Muslims to take up arms and fight on behalf of the group’s self-styled caliphate.
The speaker references the Saudi-led air campaign against Shiite rebels in Yemen, which began on March 26, and harshly criticises the Saudi royal family.
“Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting,” he said.
“No one should believe that the war that we are waging is the war of the Islamic State. It is the war of all Muslims, but the Islamic State is spearheading it. It is the war of Muslims against infidels.”
“O Muslims go to war everywhere. It is the duty of every Muslim,” the speaker said.
It was not immediately possible to verify whether the voice was al-Baghdadi’s.
The 35-minute audio message, which quoted several verses from the Koran, was released with written English, Russian, Turkish, French and German translations.
In the latest message, al-Baghdadi blasted Arab rulers, calling them “guarding dogs” and saying the Yemen war will lead to the end of the Saudi royal family’s rule.
The last audio message purportedly from al-Baghdadi came in November, days after Iraqi officials said he was wounded in an air strike on an Iraqi town near the Syrian border. Media reports have also said he was severely wounded. The audio message was not accompanied by photos or video.