ISIS releases message purportedly from reclusive leader

Shia Muslims protest ISIS at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.
(Image credit: Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images)

The Islamic State released a 24-minute audio message Saturday purporting to be from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the terrorist group's reclusive leader, The Associated Press reports.

"Be confident that God will grant victory to those who worship him, and hear the good news that our state is doing well," al-Baghdadi purportedly said. "The more intense the war against it, the purer it becomes and the tougher it gets."

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.