A bearded man with Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's appearance speaks in this screen grab taken from video released on April 29, 2019 ReutersThe authenticity and date of the recording could not be independently verifiedIslamic State's media network published a threatening video message purporting to come from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in what would be his first appearance since declaring the jihadists' now-defunct "caliphate" five years ago. The video would be the first from Baghdadi since he was filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014. He also asked God to protect them and Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of IS in the Greater Sahara. "We are aware of a video posted today reportedly showing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," said Pentagon spokesman Navy Commander Sean Robertson. US air strikes killed most of Baghdadi's top lieutenants, including "war minister" Abu Omar al-Shishani, "governor of the Iraqi region" Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani and "governor for Syria" Abu Ali al-Anbari.

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 30, 2019 05:37 UTC