ISIS leader purportedly tells fighters: ‘You are on the right path’

By Greg Botelho, Salma Abdelaziz and Hamdi Alkhshali, CNN
Updated 9:31 PM EST, Sat December 26, 2015
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Story highlights

An audio message appears on ISIS-affiliated social media claiming to be from Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The message says, "Soldiers of the Islamic State be patient because you are on the right path"

The recording is released as Iraq's military says it is gaining more ground in fight against ISIS

(CNN) —  

As ISIS fends off ground attacks around places like Ramadi and airstrikes by U.S., Russian and other forces, its leader purportedly fired back in an audio message that surfaced online Saturday, mocking the Western coalition aligned against him, threatening Israel and trying to boost his own forces’ morale.

“Soldiers of the Islamic State be patient because you are on the right path,” says the man, who is identified on ISIS-affiliated social media accounts as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. “Be patient, because God is with you.”

CNN could not independently verify the man speaking is indeed Baghdadi, the much-reviled head of the group that calls itself the Islamic State.

He isn’t often heard from or seen, the last such example coming last May in a reported online audio statement – a reclusiveness that could be traced to the fact he’s a wanted man for leading fighters in carrying out atrocities and taking over swaths of Syria and Iraq, not to mention inspiring or pulling off attacks elsewhere in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Regardless, those who posted the audio message that appeared Saturday appeared to believe it came from Baghdadi. And it has a marker consistent with other ISIS media and was produced by the group’s al-Furqan Media wing.

It’s not clear when the 24-minute tape was recorded, as it makes no reference to recent ISIS-related operations such as the terror attacks in Paris or the downing of a Russian commercial jet out of Egypt.

Wounded passengers are treated following a suicide bombing at the Brussels Airport on March 22, 2016. The attacks on the airport and a subway killed 32 people and wounded more than 300. ISIS claims its "fighters" launched the attacks in the Belgian capital.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Wounded passengers are treated following a suicide bombing at the Brussels Airport on March 22, 2016. The attacks on the airport and a subway killed 32 people and wounded more than 300. ISIS claims its "fighters" launched the attacks in the Belgian capital.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Syrians gather at the site of a double car bomb attack in the Al-Zahraa neighborhood of the Homs, Syria, on February 21, 2016. Multiple attacks in Homs and southern Damascus kill at least 122 and injure scores, according to the state-run SANA news agency. ISIS claimed responsibility.
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An ISIS fighter poses with spoils purportedly taken after capturing the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
An ISIS fighter poses with spoils purportedly taken after capturing the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn.
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Buildings reduced to piles of debris can be seen in the eastern suburbs of Ramadi on August 6.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Buildings reduced to piles of debris can be seen in the eastern suburbs of Ramadi on August 6.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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A member of Afghanistan
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Iraqi counterterrorism forces patrol in Ramadi on April 18.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Thousands of Iraqis cross a bridge over the Euphrates River to Baghdad as they flee Ramadi on Friday, April 17.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A Yazidi woman mourns for the death of her husband and children by ISIS after being released south of Kirkuk on April 8. ISIS is known for killing dozens of people at a time and carrying out public executions, crucifixions and other acts.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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PHOTO: AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Iraqi security forces launch a rocket against ISIS positions in Tikrit on Monday, March 30.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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PHOTO: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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PHOTO: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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PHOTO: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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PHOTO: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Collapsed buildings are seen in Kobani on January 27 after Kurdish forces took control of the town from ISIS.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
An elderly Yazidi man arrives in Kirkuk after being released by ISIS on Saturday, January 17. The militant group released about 200 Yazidis who were held captive for five months in Iraq. Almost all of the freed prisoners were in poor health and bore signs of abuse and neglect, Kurdish officials said.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
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Fighters from the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish People
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Fighters from the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish People's Protection Units join forces to fight ISIS in Kobani on Wednesday, November 19.
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A picture taken from Turkey shows smoke rising after ISIS militants fired mortar shells toward an area controlled by Syrian Kurdish fighters near Kobani on Monday, November 3.
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Iraqi special forces search a house in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq, on Thursday, October 30, after retaking the area from ISIS.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Iraqi special forces search a house in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq, on Thursday, October 30, after retaking the area from ISIS.
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ISIS militants stand near the site of an airstrike near the Turkey-Syria border on Thursday, October 23. The United States and several Arab nations have been bombing ISIS targets in Syria to take out the militant group
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
ISIS militants stand near the site of an airstrike near the Turkey-Syria border on Thursday, October 23. The United States and several Arab nations have been bombing ISIS targets in Syria to take out the militant group's ability to command, train and resupply its fighters.
PHOTO: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
Kurdish fighters walk to positions as they combat ISIS forces in Kobani on Sunday, October 19.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Kurdish fighters walk to positions as they combat ISIS forces in Kobani on Sunday, October 19.
PHOTO: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images
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Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Heavy smoke rises in Kobani following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on October 18.
PHOTO: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images
Cundi Minaz, a female Kurdish fighter, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc on Tuesday, October 14. Minaz was reportedly killed during clashes with ISIS militants in nearby Kobani.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Cundi Minaz, a female Kurdish fighter, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc on Tuesday, October 14. Minaz was reportedly killed during clashes with ISIS militants in nearby Kobani.
PHOTO: Gokhan Sahin/Getty Images
Kiymet Ergun, a Syrian Kurd, celebrates in Mursitpinar, Turkey, after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani on Monday, October 13.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Kiymet Ergun, a Syrian Kurd, celebrates in Mursitpinar, Turkey, after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani on Monday, October 13.
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Alleged ISIS militants stand next to an ISIS flag atop a hill in Kobani on Monday, October 6.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Alleged ISIS militants stand next to an ISIS flag atop a hill in Kobani on Monday, October 6.
PHOTO: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier who was wounded in a battle with ISIS is wheeled to the Zakho Emergency Hospital in Duhuk, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 30.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier who was wounded in a battle with ISIS is wheeled to the Zakho Emergency Hospital in Duhuk, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 30.
PHOTO: Hadi Mizban/AP
Syrian Kurds wait near a border crossing in Suruc as they wait to return to their homes in Kobani on Sunday, September 28.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Syrian Kurds wait near a border crossing in Suruc as they wait to return to their homes in Kobani on Sunday, September 28.
PHOTO: MURAD SEZER/Reuters/Landov
A elderly man is carried after crossing the Syria-Turkey border near Suruc on Saturday, September 20.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A elderly man is carried after crossing the Syria-Turkey border near Suruc on Saturday, September 20.
PHOTO: BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells toward ISIS militants in Zumar, Iraq, on Monday, September 15.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells toward ISIS militants in Zumar, Iraq, on Monday, September 15.
PHOTO: AHMED JADALLAH/Reuters/Landov
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9.
PHOTO: JM LOPEZ/AFP/Getty Images
Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19.
PHOTO: Khalid Mohammed/AP
Aziza Hamid, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, cries for her father while she and some other Yazidi people are flown to safety Monday, August 11, after a dramatic rescue operation at Iraq
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Aziza Hamid, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, cries for her father while she and some other Yazidi people are flown to safety Monday, August 11, after a dramatic rescue operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar. A CNN crew was on the flight, which took diapers, milk, water and food to the site where as many as 70,000 people were trapped by ISIS. But only a few of them were able to fly back on the helicopter with the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.
PHOTO: Warzer Jaff/CNN
Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People's Protection Unit in Mosul on Saturday, August 9.
PHOTO: Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances.
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A Baiji oil refinery burns after an alleged ISIS attack in northern Selahaddin, Iraq, on Thursday, July 31.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A Baiji oil refinery burns after an alleged ISIS attack in northern Selahaddin, Iraq, on Thursday, July 31.
PHOTO: Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty mages
A Syrian rebel fighter lies on a stretcher at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday, July 9. He was reportedly injured while fighting ISIS militants.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
A Syrian rebel fighter lies on a stretcher at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday, July 9. He was reportedly injured while fighting ISIS militants.
PHOTO: ABD DOUMANY/AFP/Getty Images
Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10.
Photos: The ISIS terror threat
Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10.
PHOTO: STRINGER/IRAQ/reuters/LANDOV

The speech appears to focus mostly on ISIS fighters, trying to boost their spirits in the face of ongoing fighting, according to analysts.

Yet there are also references to the U.S.-led coalition, which has carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against ISIS but has not dispatched combat troops – something that the man attributes to armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He also promises a battle aimed at Israel and in support of Palestinians, who have been in conflict for centuries in the Middle East.

“The Jews think we forget about it and got distracted from it,” the ISIS leader purportedly said. “No, oh Jews. We have not forgotten Palestine and never will.”

Iraqi forces gain ground in Ramadi

Iraqi military forces and counterterror units have gained control of Ramadi’s al-Huz district, 500 meters (550 yards) south of the ISIS-held government compound in central Ramadi, the Iraqi Joint Operation Command said Saturday.

The assault on ISIS also came from the air.

An Iraqi Air Force strike targeting ISIS headquarters in the city in central Iraq reportedly killed Omar Sami Bedaiwi al-Issawi, ISIS’ top security official for the nearby city of Falluja. He had been fighting in Ramadi.

The news comes after fierce clashes to recapture the district from ISIS and clear it of a large number of booby traps.

Iraqi troops also have advanced to Ramadi Dam, about 1.2 kilometers (three-quarters of a mile) from ISIS’ compound, giving Iraqi security forces control of the important road that stretches between Ramadi Dam and the Albu Faraj area in the city’s north.

Iraqi security forces rescued 120 Iraqi families trapped by the fighting, officials said. Families were taken to Habbaniyah, where the Iraqi Red Crescent Society is looking after them.

Iraqi forces are also closing in on Falluja, Anbar province’s second-largest city, the Iraqi Joint Operation Command said.

Progress for Syrian rebels

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces seized control of the Tishrin Dam on the Euphrates River in northern Syria after clashes with ISIS fighters, the rebel group said Saturday on its website.

Tishrin Dam is about 22 kilometers (14 miles) north of the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.

The SDF claimed other victories in northern Syria, saying its forces took over eight villages since Friday night.