In reality, only rumors are circulating about al-Baghdadi's health. For some countries like Iraq (a recognized government that is increasingly characterized by unconfirmed news) it would even be dead. Probably, he could be seriously injured and confined to a hospital bed for the rest of his days.
The audio message, issued by the media arm of the terrorist group al-Furqan, has been published on several websites close to the fundamentalists and is now in the public domain after being issued by Al Jazeera. The rumor (not confirmed) should be precisely that of Baghdadi. Uncertainties also on the recording date of the audio clip.
Al-Baghdadi says: "Every Muslim in the world has the obligation to fight for the Islamic State. Wherever you are, take up arms and fight for our cause. The end of the Saudi government is near. Those Gulf rulers feel threatened by the our growing popularity among Sunni Muslims ".
The audio refers to the operations of the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen against the Shiite Houthi rebels.
"They have lost their so-called legitimacy, they are subjects of the crusaders and Jews. They claim to defend the Sunnis, but it is a lie. It is a desperate attempt to prevent Muslims from joining the Islamic state that defends them. This terrorizes the children Saloul (derogatory term to describe the rulers of Saudi Arabia) ".
Baghdadi then reassured the people and those who fled from Ramadi. "Come back, we will always defend our people. We want your security ".
Baghdadi has issued several audio messages since he declared himself Caliph in June last year, but appeared in a single video immediately after the capture of the Iraqi city of Mosul. A sort of sermon uttered in one of the mosques of the city, with many of its commanders sitting in the front row. Baghdadi concludes his audio message by greeting the countries that have sworn allegiance to the Islamic state, including Egypt.
"Be strong, your (Shiite) enemy will soon be defeated and today he is weaker than he has ever been. We, on the other hand, are getting stronger".
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Caliph of the Islamic State, suffered serious spinal injuries after his convoy was hit by an American missile raid last March. Baghdadi would be paralyzed, but may still be alive in the Mosul area. Baghdadi's conditions were immediately judged to be extremely serious, so much so that the organization was forced to appoint a replacement (whose fate is unknown). Immediately transferred to a secret location, the spiritual leader of the Islamic State would no longer regain control of the organization.
The air attack took place on 18 last March, near al-Baaj, a district of Nineveh, near the Syrian border. The raid took place in the road linking the village of Umm al-Rous and al-Qaraan. The convoy, made up of three vehicles, had been monitored for hours by the Coalition drones that at first were supposed to be a column with some ISIS senior leaders on board. The attack was authorized by the Allied command.
Four missiles would have been launched and at least three victims confirmed. No one, however, could have hypothesized that in one of those armored vehicles he was right in al-Baghdadi. The Caliph would have decided to hide near al-Baaj, 200 km west of Mosul, because it was considered an unattended area by the United States. An area deemed to be outside the US shield. Al-Baaj, predominantly Sunni, has always been considered a high-risk area, even under the regime of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It was considered a safe haven for jihadists since the 2004.
According to Mosul, al-Baghdadi would be treated by a woman (radiologist) and a man (surgeon) from one of the city's main hospitals. Both would appear on the regional health network.
Franco Iacch
