IS leader Baghdadi calls for ‘battle of attrition’ in new video
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not been seen on video in five years

The leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, has appeared in a video for the first time in five years, calling for a “battle of attrition” against the West.
With a Kalashnikov rifle by his right hand, the 47-year-old hailed the militants who fought to defend the Iraqi town of Baghuz, the last stronghold of IS, where the self-proclaimed caliphate came to an end last month, and paid tribute to the suicide bombers who carried out the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka.
Baghdadi, who is rumoured to have been seriously injured in an airstrike in 2015, “may be sitting to hide a disability,” says The Times, though his posture also “appears to mimic, perhaps deliberately, a well-known photograph of Osama bin Laden”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Daily Telegraph says Western intelligence agencies “will be scouring the video for any scraps of information which could reveal his location”.
Baghdadi has not been seen since 2014, when he declared from Mosul the creation of a “caliphate” across parts of Syria and Iraq. In the new video he says the attacks in Sri Lanka were carried out as revenge for the fall of Baghuz.
“The battle for Baghuz is over,” he says. “The brothers will take vengeance, as they will not forget it as long as they have blood in their veins, and there will be a battle after this one. In fact, the battle of Islam and its people against the crusaders and their followers is a long battle.”
He fuelled speculation that IS plans to attempt terrorist attacks across a broad field, rather than focusing on retaking territory in a single location, speaking of jihadists in a number of territories, including Mali, Burkina Faso and Afghanistan.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
An estimated 15,000 to 30,000 IS fighters remain in Iraq and Syria after the fall of the caliphate.
Daniel Byman, a Brookings Institution scholar and author, told the New Yorker the video is “a way for [Baghdadi] both to continue his claim to the leadership of the jihadist movement and to give his followers heart in what is a dispiriting time for them”.
Intelligence analyst Rita Katz said it was a setback that “Baghdadi is able to re-emerge to his supporters and reaffirm the group’s us-versus-the-world message after all the progress made against the group”.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of Taiwan
In the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdown
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations