WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The report was based largely on an audio recording released Wednesday, allegedly from Baghdadi, the first such message in nearly a year. However, a spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting to retake the city of Mosul in Iraq from Daesh said the United States could not authenticate the recording as that of Baghdadi.
“In the message, al-Baghdadi made specific calls for attacks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey,” the report stated. “The message also called for the group’s many would-be suicide bombers to strike wherever possible.
With the loss of territory, Daesh “caliphate” would disappear, however terrorist attacks would allow Daesh to maintain a solid footing in the region, according to Soufan’s report.
On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of a military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh with the help of airstrikes by the US-led international coalition. According to media reports, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were initially taking part in the operation.
