A recording of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, which the Pentagon has not confirmed is genuine, calls for all Muslims to join the fight agains the “infidels,” saying, “Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is the religion of fighting.”
Al-Baghdadi had not been heard from until this voice recording since a March coalition airstrike where he was reportedly injured. As the former leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Baghdadi was known for defying the larger al Qaeda organization and forming the Islamic State, against al-Qaeda’s wishes, and was one of many former al Qaeda members that the U.S. released a few years ago from its prison Camp Bucca, in Umm Qasr, Iraq.
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“We have not been able to confirm that the audio recording released yesterday was authentic,” said Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidley, chief of staff of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve Friday.
However, Weidley said, “I would say that the message is indicative of the state that Daesh is in, right?” Weidley continued, using the derogatory Arabic term for the Islamic State. Baghdadi “asked for additional recruits, which shows that they are potentially stressed in terms of manpower to continue the fight.”
