A little over a week after Islamic State suicide bombers killed hundreds of people in churches and hotels across Sri Lanka, a new propaganda video of the terror group has surfaced, showing leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi for the first time in five years.
In the brief video, al-Baghdadi acknowledges that Islamic State has been defeated in Baghouz, the last village in Syria that was still under ISIS control until March of this year, adding that the battle for Baghouz showed “the savagery, brutality and ill intentions of the Christians towards the Muslim community.”
Analysts have warned that the defeat of ISIS in Syria was far from a complete victory over the terror group, which continues to pose a significant threat in the region and abroad.
Read more: Isis leader Baghdadi appears in video for first time in five years
