The Islamic State group has released a new message purportedly from its reclusive leader, claiming his "caliphate" is doing well despite an alliance against it and criticising the recently announced Saudi-led Islamic military coalition against terrorism.
In the 24-minute audio, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi said air strikes by the international coalition only increase his group's determination and resolve.
The message posted on Saturday was al-Baghdadi's first since May, and comes amid recent battlefield setbacks for IS.
On Saturday a US-backed coalition of rebels in Syria - including Syrian Kurdish, Arab and Christian groups - captured a major dam on the Euphrates River from the Islamic State group as part of the coalition's march on IS-held areas in northern Syria.
The Islamic State lost the town of Sinjar in Iraq last month, and areas across the border in Syria at the same time. Iraqi government troops are also advancing into the Islamic State-held city of Ramadi in Iraq's Sunni heartland.
"It is unprecedented in the history of our Ummah (Islamic nation) that all the world came against it in one battle, as it is happening today. It is the battle of all the disbelievers against all the Muslims," al-Baghdadi said in his message.
He said the US-led alliance does "not scare us... nor do they scatter our resolve because we are the victors in any event."
Al-Baghdadi also taunted the US for not putting boots on the ground. "They do not dare to come, because their hearts are full of fear from the mujahideen,"or holy warriors, he said.
"America and its allies dream of destroying the caliphate through their proxies and henchmen, and whenever an alliance of theirs fails or a tail is cut, they hasten to establish another, until they recently declared the Salouli (Saudi) alliance that was falsely called Islamic," al-Baghdadi added.
If the Saudi-led alliance was truly Islamic, then it would fight the Syrian army and its Russian "masters," as well as Shi'ites and Jews, al-Baghdadi said.
In mid-December, Saudi Arabia announced the new, 34-member alliance against terrorism, to be based in the kingdom's capital, Riyadh.
In the audio, al-Baghdadi also warned nations taking part in the war against IS by saying: "We promise you, God permitting, that whoever participates in the war against the Islamic State will pay the price dearly."
He threatened Israel by saying, "we haven't forgotten you" and "we are getting closer to you" every day. To Israeli Jews, he said that they "will hide behind trees and stones" from the IS.
He also urged Muslims the world over to join the IS fight, saying it is their Islamic duty to rise up everywhere.
The authenticity of the audio could not be independently confirmed but it was posted on IS-affiliated websites and Twitter as have past IS messages. Also, it was produced by the al-Furqan Media Foundation, the IS media arm.
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