The Islamic State extremist group on Thursday released what it said was an audio recording of its leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, a move apparently intended to counter rumors of his death and rally followers after recent battlefield losses.

If true, it would be the first communication from the reclusive militant leader in nearly a year.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in June that there was a “high probability” that Baghdadi was killed in a Russian airstrike near the Syrian city of Raqqah, the capital of Islamic State’s self-declared caliphate and its operations hub. But U.S. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and other senior Pentagon officials later said that they believed Baghdadi was still alive and that U.S. forces would continue to search for him.

The date of the new recording is not clear, but it contains a reference to North Korean nuclear threats against the United States and Japan, which suggests that it could be recent. It was released by Islamic State’s Al Furqan media outlet, and the voice heard is similar to previous recordings of Baghdadi.

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The militant leader’s last recorded message came in November, just weeks after Iraqi forces, supported by U.S. airstrikes, launched a campaign to recapture the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the largest to fall to Islamic State.

Since then, the militants have been steadily losing territory, including Mosul and parts of Raqqah, which has been under assault by a U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab militias since the summer.

In the 46-minute recording, the group’s leader praises followers for their fierce defense of Mosul, exhorting them to remain steadfast and not to speak of “submission or defeat or negotiation or surrender.”

He also urges Sunni Muslims in Iraq, Syria and Yemen to rise up and fight against Shiites, whom the group views as apostates.

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Despite Islamic State’s losses, its fighters continue to strike back, including this week in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, which was declared liberated in 2015. The group has also inspired attacks as far away as London; Paris; Barcelona, Spain; and San Bernardino, many of which were carried out by sympathizers who never traveled to Syria.

“The Americans and the Russians and the Europeans now live in terror in their countries,” Baghdadi says in the recording.

He urges followers around the world to intensify and expand their strikes.

“Make the disbeliever media centers and the headquarters of their ideological wars among your targets,” he says in an apparent reference to Western media outlets. “Do not let the crusaders and apostates enjoy a good life or a pleasant living in the middle of their countries while your brothers are experiencing bombardment, killing and destruction.”

U.S. military and intelligence agencies are examining the recording to determine its veracity.

Bulos is a special correspondent. Times staff writer W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.

alexandra.zavis@latimes.com

Twitter: @alexzavis

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UPDATES:

3:30 p.m.: This article was updated throughout with staff reporting.

This article was originally published at 11:55 a.m.</s>Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has exhorted followers across the world to wage attacks against the West and to keep fighting in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere

In an audio released on Thursday of what it said was its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on members under pressure in Syria and Iraq to "resist" their enemies.

"The leaders of the Islamic State and its soldiers have realised that the path to... Victory is to be patient and resist the infidels whatever their alliances," said the person heard in the recording.

It was not clear when the message, released by the IS- affiliated Al-Furqan media group, was recorded.

In it, the apparent IS leader lashed out at "infidel nations headed by America, Russia and Iran" who, along with their allies, have inflicted losses on the jihadists during separate anti-IS offensives against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Today's was the first audio message said to be of Baghdadi since November 2016, when he spoke in a defiant tone in urging his supporters to defend the city of Mosul against a massive operation by Iraqi forces.

That recording, also released by Al-Furqan, was a rare sign of life from Baghdadi.

In July, Moscow said it was struggling to confirm if Baghdadi was dead or alive, a month after reporting his possible demise in an air strike near the IS stronghold of Raqa in Syria.

Rumours have abounded about Baghdadi's own health and movements, but his whereabouts remain unclear.

Shortly after the jihadists swept across swathes of Iraq in June 2014, Baghdadi appeared before thousands of faithful at Mosul's Great mosque of Al-Nuri to urge Muslims around the world to join his "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq.

The jihadists have since lost vast territory in both countries, including in Syria to Russia-backed regime troops and a US-supported Kurdish-Arab alliance.

But his group has claimed its members were behind deadly attacks carried out worldwide, including in Paris, London and Barcelona.</s>The Islamic State group has released an audio clip purportedly of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, urging followers across the world to wage a war against the West. He also asks the militants to keep fighting in Syria, Iraq and other places, Reuters reported on Thursday.

“Oh soldiers of the Caliphate, fan the flames of war on your enemies, take it to them and besiege them in every corner, and stand fast and courageous,” Baghdadi purportedly says in the audio released by the Islamic State group’s Al Furqan news channel. “Beware of retreat, or the feeling of defeat, beware of negotiations or surrender. Do not lay down your arms.”

In the audio, Baghdadi makes a reference to recent events, including the tensions between North Korea and the United States and US-backed Iraqi forces recapturing Mosul. He also asked Islamic State group followers to attack Western media outlets. “Oh soldiers of Islam in every location, increase blow after blow, and make the media centers of the infidels, from where they wage their intellectual wars, among the targets.”

Asked about the audio, Ryan Dillion, a spokesperson for US forces fighting the Islamic State group, told BBC, “Without verifiable evidence of his death, we have continued to assume that he is alive”.

An unidentified US defence department officials said they were examining the audio clip. “While we have no reason to doubt its authenticity, we do not have verification at this point,” he said.

On July 22, US Defence Secretary James Mattis had said that he thinks al-Baghdadi was still alive. Despite various reports saying he was dead, Mattis had told Pentagon reporters, “I think Baghdadi’s alive… and I will believe otherwise when we know we’ve killed him,” according to AFP.

On July 11, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had said al-Baghdadi had been killed. The militant group also confirmed the news then and had said it would soon announce a successor. Earlier in June, Russia’s military had said that it was investigating if Baghdadi had been killed in one of its airstrikes outside Raqqa, Syria’s de facto capital, on May 28.</s>On the day after ISIS bizarrely tried to claim responsibility for a failed attack that targeted U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis in Afghanistan, the terror organization is attempting to reassure followers that all is well with their leader. With this move, the Islamic State hopes to clear up confusion on whether Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is alive or dead, since a number of conflicting reports over the summer couldn’t prove that either was the case.

The New York Times reports that the Islamic State has released audio footage — a full 46 minutes in length — that they say contains the voice of 46-year-old Baghdadi. If authentic, this would be the first official communication from Baghdadi since last November. Here’s more:

In this recording, [Baghdadi] addresses his foot soldiers after the loss of Mosul, a city of one million, as well as the subsequent loss of the smaller town of Tal Afar and part of Raqqa, the group’s capital in Syria. “America, Europe and Russia are living in a state of terror,” he said, according to a translation provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks Islamic State propaganda.

The NY Times notes that the recording begins with “may Allah protect him,” which was intended to communicate that Baghdadi is still alive. In addition, the person in the recording references recent events — including the attacks on the London Tube and in Barcelona as well as the North Korea situation — as details that would also serve the same goal. However, there’s been no confirmation that this recording, which has been circulating through popular ISIS chat rooms, indeed contains the voice of the ISIS leader.

Ultimately, the audio footage includes a call for increased attacks on the West. And the Islamic State hopes that this will boost morale and, just maybe, stop fighters from claiming to have headaches and backaches in order to skip out on battles. That’s actually been happening this year, by the way. Amazing.</s>Islamic State have released what it claims is a recording of their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The reclusive leader of IS, who has only appeared in public once, also vowed to continue fighting and lavished praise on his jihadis for their bravery in the battlefield - despite the militants’ loss of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in July.

The recording was released by the IS-run al-Furqan outlet, which has in the past released messages from Baghdadi and other top figures of the extremist group.

Baghdadi spoke of what he called the United States’ waning global power. Citing examples of America’s perceived weakness, he referred to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and "North Korea’s nuclear threat against America and Japan".

Al-Baghdad’s reference to North Korea’s tussle with Washington and Tokyo over Pyongyang’s nuclear and long-range missile programmes suggests his message was recently recorded, perhaps in the past month or two.

The voice in the 46-minute audio sounded much like previous recordings of Baghdadi. His last previous purported message was released in November, also in an audio recording.

"You soldiers of the caliphate, heroes of Islam and carriers of banners: light a fire against your enemies," said Baghdadi, a shadowy cleric who has been surrounded by controversy since the Sunni terror group emerged from al Qaida in Iraq.

Russian officials said in June there was a "high probability" that Baghdadi had died in a Russian air strike on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital. US officials later said they believed he was still alive.

Baghdadi’s whereabouts are unknown but he is believed to be in IS’s dwindling territory in eastern Syria.

The IS-held cities of Raqqa and Deir el-Zour are under siege and probably too dangerous for him to hide in.

Some IS leadership is believed to have gone to the nearby town of Mayadeen, and the group still holds a stretch of the Euphrates River from Deir el-Zour to the Iraqi border, as well as remote desert areas along the border.

"You soldiers of Islam, supporters of the caliphate everywhere, step up your attacks and include the media centres of the infidels and the headquarters of their ideological war among your targets," he said in the recording, apparently alluding to Western news outlets and research centres.

"Don’t you dare allow the Crusaders and the apostates to enjoy a good and comfortable life at home while your brothers are enduring killings, shelling and destruction," added Baghdadi, who reminded his followers of the rewards of martyrdom, including "72 wives" from among the maidens of paradise.

He also lauded his fighters for what he called their valiant fight against US-backed Iraqi forces that wrested control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from IS after nearly nine months of fighting.

"In Mosul, they defiantly stood firm on a land ruled by God’s laws against the infidels and nations of the cross ... only leaving it over their skulls and dead bodies after nearly a year of fighting," he said. "The sons of Islam will willingly continue to sacrifice their blood and bodies for the sake of their creator," he defiantly declared.

In the recording, he also consoled IS fighters over the number of major military setbacks suffered in recent months in both Iraq and Syria, but also made a passionate plea for them to rise up and never surrender.

"You Sunnis of Iraq, Syria, Yemen and everywhere ... get out of your beds and shake off oppression ... return to your faith and restore your glory and eminence," he said.</s>Islamic State has released an audio recording of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi that appears to post-date the latest rumours of his death, in which he accuses the US of wilting in the face of Russia and lacking “the will to fight”.

The 46-minute tape, released on Thursday, was the first from the reclusive Baghdadi in nearly 10 months, and gave several clues that suggest Iranian and Russian claims that he was killed earlier this year were incorrect.

In the tape Baghdadi refers to the “nearly year long fight for Mosul,” where Isis was ousted in August, after nearly 10 months of fighting. He also referenced fights for Hama in Syria, where a push in recent weeks by Iranian-led militias has ousted the terror group from much if its stronghold in countryside to the east of Syria’s third city.

He also referenced North Korean “nuclear threats to America” and “Russia taking control” of the Astana peace process between the Syrian opposition and regime. Both matters have been headline news throughout the year, but the North Korean standoff has been particularly potent in recent weeks.

“The fighters in Mosul refused to surrender the city at the cost of their flesh and blood,” said Baghdadi. “Only after a year of fighting.”

Addressing people in Syria, where an armed opposition has all but lost the civil war against the Iran and Russia-backed Assad regime, he said: “What have you benefited from your pact with your supporters other than truces with [Shias]? Turkey and the [Awakening Movement] will give you nothing. If it was not for us, you would be worse off.”

Baghdadi’s whereabouts have been the subject of intense speculation throughout the past three years, during which time Isis rampaged through large parts of Iraq and Syria. He made one public appearance, in July 2014, when he climbed the minbar of the Grand Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul to anoint himself as leader of a new caliphate.

Isis destroyed the mosque in Mosul’s Old City as Iraqi forces closed in on them in June this year. Around the same time, Russia claimed that one of its airstrikes had killed Baghdadi among a gathering of Isis leaders south of Deir ez-Zor, across the border in Syria. Iran later gave weight to the claims, which were not given credence by western intelligence officials.

Baghdadi is known to have been seriously injured in an airstrike near Sharqat in Iraq in late February 2015, after which he spent months recuperating. He has been seen several times in the border town of Al-Bukamal, as recently as early October 2016, according to Guardian sources.

The speech appeared to give little instruction to Isis followers in the fast dwindling caliphate. Its fighters have now largely been confined to a small pocket of Raqqa in Syria, and areas south of Deir ez-Zor. However, he did urge members to “intensify one attack after another against the infidels’ information centres and their centres of ideological war,” in an apparent reference to media organisations.</s>The Islamic state (ISIS) group released an audio on Thursday urging its followers to target "media centres of the infidels" and burn their enemies everywhere. The militant group also claimed that the audio message was of their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In the recording, the ISIS leader vowed to continue fighting and praised his jihadis for their valour on the battlefield, despite them losing their control over the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in July.

Reports state that the audio message was released by then Islamic State-run al-Furqan outlet, which has previously released messages from top leaders of the extremist group, including al-Baghdadi. The audio message, which was 46 minutes-long, sounded similar to the previous messages released by al-Baghdadi.

"You soldiers of the caliphate, heroes of Islam and carriers of banners: light a fire against your enemies," said al-Baghdadi in the video. The message comes amidst several reports of confirmation of the ISIS leader's death.

"You soldiers of Islam, supporters of the caliphate everywhere, step up your attacks and include the media centres of the infidels and the headquarters of their ideological war among your targets," he said in the recording, apparently alluding to Western news outlets and research centres.

Baghdadi had declared his Islamic caliphate ISIS in Nuri Mosque in central Mosul three years ago.

In June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov had said that the ISIS chief was 'highly likely' to have been killed in Russian fighter jets airstrike in Syria's Raqqa city. Russian lawmaker Alexei Pushkov had also said that the probability of ISIS leader's death after Russian airstrikes are about 100 percent.

"If he were alive, then as a demonstration of power and as a mean of increasing war morale, a refutation would have been already announced," Pushkov argued in a statement made to Sputnik.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard had also verified Baghdadi's death, and the report is supposedly confirmed "through multiple channels".

The ISIS leader's death has been reported on multiple occasions over the recent years, with no possible confirmation of his demise.</s>LONDON: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the founder of the ISIS terrorist outfit, may not be dead. A 46-minute tape in which his purported voice urges ISIS fighters to continue their attacks on the West seemingly dashes speculation that he was killed in a Russian airstrike in June.

 

 Citing experts, British newspaper Daily Mail reported that the voice on the tape is similar to al-Baghdadi 's. If it is indeed him, this would be the first time he has been heard since November 2016.

 

 That the tape is recent is perhaps attested by the references to North Korea’s nuclear threats against the US and Japan. However, the lack of specific details has made it difficult to determine the actual date it might have been recorded.

 

 “Continue your jihad and blessed operations, and do not let the crusaders and apostates enjoy a good life or a pleasant living in the middle of their countries while your brothers are experiencing bombardment, killing, and destruction,” al-Baghdadi was quoted as saying.

 

 He urged his fighters not to give up jihad and also heard saying that the US is “weakening as a world power and the West lives in fear of terror attacks”.

 

 Al-Baghdadi’s last tape came in November 2016, when the battle for Mosul was beginning. US-backed forces went on to secure the ISIS stronghold in a fierce battle that lasted months.

 

 In June this year, Russian officials had claimed that there was a “high probability” that al-Baghdadi had been killed in one of their airstrikes on the city of Raqqa. However, a top US army commander said earlier this month that he may be alive.

 

 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had declared his so-called global caliphate in 2014. His outfit has been referred to as ISIS, ISIL, Islamic State and in the Arab world as Da’esh. ISIS subsribes to the extreme hardline version of Islam called Wahhabism, which is also the state-backed sect in Saudi Arabia.</s>Baghdad: In what may put all the speculations about the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to rest, the Islamic State group released a new audio indicating that its top leader is still alive and healthy.

The recording was released by the IS-run al-Furqan outlet on Thursday and the voice sounded like previous recordings of the reclusive leader, who has only appeared in public once. The date of the audio recording, released via the Al-Furqan news organisation, which is linked to the jihadist group, however, was unclear.

In his 46-minute tape, the ISIS leader, Baghdadi made reference to North Korean threats against Japan and United States and the recapture two months ago of Mosul by US-backed Iraqi forces.

"Beware of retreat, or the feeling of defeat, beware of negotiations or surrender. Do not lay down your arms," Baghdadi said, referring to followers in Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, North Africa and elsewhere in Africa.

"Oh Soldiers of the Caliphate, fan the flames of war on your enemies, take it to them and besiege them in every corner, and stand fast and courageous."

"With God's will and his strength, we are staying determined, patient...The abundance of killing will not stop us," Baghdadi said in the audio recording.

Baghdadi also referenced Western media, saying, "Oh soldiers of Islam in every location, increase blow after blow, and make the media centres of the infidels, and where they wage their intellectual wars, among your targets."

Since Baghdadi proclaimed the caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria in 2014, Iraqi forces have retaken a string of cities in western and northern Iraq including Mosul, where Baghdadi made his announcement from the city's El Nuri mosque.

Western-backed Syrian forces are also thrusting into the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, Islamic State`s operational headquarters from where it plotted many of the attacks that have killed hundreds of people around the world.

The fall of Mosul in July effectively marked the end of the Iraqi half of Baghdadi's "caliphate" even though Islamic State continues to fight in some territory outside of Mosul, the largest city they came to control in both Iraq and Syria.

An IS branch in Libya was also defeated last year in the city of Sirte, where they had set up a North African beachhead in 2014. In Egypt's northern Sinai, another affiliated militant group is still fighting Egyptian military forces.

The audio has come after several reports that Baghdadi was killed. The last purported audio message from al-Baghdadi was released in November 2016.

The United States is still trying to verify a purported recording of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who had been rumoured to be dead, but suggested the tape released Thursday could well be real.

"We are aware of the audio tape purported to be of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and are taking steps to examine it," an intelligence community source said in a statement. "While we have no reason to doubt its authenticity, we do not have verification at this point."

In June this year, Russian officials said that there was a high probability that al-Baghdadi died in one of its airstrikes on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa.

However, the US top officials said that they believed that he was still alive. Officials have said they believed it could take years to capture or kill Baghdadi as he is thought to be hiding in thousands of square miles of sparsely-populated desert between Mosul and Raqqa, where drones are easy to spot.</s>BEIRUT - The Islamic State group released an audio recording Thursday of what it said was its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi calling on members under pressure in Syria and Iraq to "resist" their enemies.

"The leaders of the Islamic State and its soldiers have realised that the path to... victory is to be patient and resist the infidels whatever their alliances," said the person heard in the recording.

It was not clear when the message, released by the IS-affiliated Al-Furqan media group, was recorded.

In it, the apparent IS leader lashed out at "infidel nations headed by America, Russia and Iran" who, along with their allies, have inflicted losses on the militants during separate anti-IS offensives against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Thursday's was the first audio message said to be of Baghdadi since November 2016, when he spoke in a defiant tone in urging his supporters to defend the city of Mosul against a massive operation by Iraqi forces. That recording, also released by Al-Furqan, was a rare sign of life from Baghdadi.

In July, Moscow said it was struggling to confirm if Baghdadi was dead or alive, a month after reporting his possible demise in an air strike near the IS stronghold of Raqa in Syria.

Rumours have abounded about Baghdadi's own health and movements, but his whereabouts remain unclear.

Shortly after the militants swept across swathes of Iraq in June 2014, Baghdadi appeared before thousands of faithful at Mosul's Great mosque of Al-Nuri to urge Muslims around the world to join his "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq.

Meanwhile, the United States is still trying to verify a purported recording of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"We are aware of the audio tape purported to be of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and are taking steps to examine it," an intelligence community source said in statement to AFP.

"While we have no reason to doubt its authenticity, we do not have verification at this point."

In it, the apparent IS leader lashed out at "infidel nations headed by America, Russia and Iran" who, along with their allies, have inflicted losses on the militants during separate anti-IS offensives in Syria and Iraq.

In July, Moscow said it was struggling to confirm if Baghdadi was dead or alive, a month after reporting his possible demise in an air strike near the IS stronghold of Raqa in Syria.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant releases footage which apparently show its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urging his followers to expand their attacks against "crusaders and apostates".