ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have reappeared in new video

For the first time in five years, ISIS has released what it says is a new video message from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In the video, a man purporting to be Baghdadi appeared to be wearing a casual outfit, sitting on the ground next to an assault rifle. He said the “battle for Baghouz is over,” referencing the last town held by ISIS in eastern Syria.

Baghouz was liberated from the terror group in late March, marking the collapse of the group’s so-called Caliphate.
In the video, the man praised recent bombings in Sri Lanka, which killed more than 250 people and wounded at least 500 on April 21.

In February 2018, several US officials who spoke exclusively to CNN said Baghdadi had been wounded in an airstrike in May 2017 and had to relinquish control of the terror group for up to five months because of his injuries. The assessment of US intelligence agencies was based on reports from ISIS detainees and refugees in Northern Syria, the officials added.

According to US senator Angus King — who recently returned from a bipartisan congressional delegation to the Middle East — US military, Iraqi and Kurdish officials told him there are still an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 ISIS fighters remaining in Iraq and Syria despite coalition forces retaking control of the territory.

“Among the most important takeaways from this trip is the knowledge of the continuing danger that ISIS can pose if left unchecked, and the importance of our continued operation to ensure they do not gain a new foothold,” King said.

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