Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Da'ash organization, appeared on Monday for the first time in five years in a propaganda video published by the extremist organization through the application of Telgram.
In the video, "In the Hospitality of the Believers," Baghdadi shows a long white beard and is draped over his limbs, a black handkerchief on his head, and the ground, along with others, hide their faces and speak in a slow tone.
This is the first time al-Baghdadi has appeared after his public appearance in July 2014 during prayers at the Grand Mosque of Nuri al-Kabir in western Mosul, after declaring what he called "the caliphate" and presenting him as "the faithful."
The date of the video is not clear, but al-Baghdadi says at the beginning that "the Battle of the Baguz is over," referring to the defeat of the organization and expelled from the last pockets in eastern Syria about a month ago.
However, Baghdadi insists that "the battle is long, and will be after this battle beyond."
He stresses that the fighters of the extremist organization, which suffered successive military defeats over the past two years, "will take revenge."
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who is at the top of a list of the world's most wanted men, lost the alleged entity he had established for more than three years and is now hiding in the Syrian desert caves, analysts say.
Having once controlled the fate of seven million people across vast territory in Syria and nearly one-third of Iraq's territory, Baghdadi now leads only scattered fighters unable to know where he is.
The United States has been paying a $ 25 million reward for helping to reach Baghdad's 47-year-old al-Baghdadi, who fled in 2014 with many rumors of his death not confirmed.