The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) on Saturday called on its members to oppose the new Syrian government. At the same time, it was the first audio recording of the movement’s spokesperson in the last two years. TASR writes about it according to an AFP report.
In a recording posted online, Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari said that IS members in Syria must fight against “the new Syrian regime, his secular government and national army” and “make it your priority.” Al-Ansari last released an audio message in January 2024 calling on IS followers to kill Jews and Christians around the world in revenge for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.
Since the overthrow of long-time ruler Bashar Assad in December 2024, the new Syrian leadership, which had links to the jihadist group al-Qaeda, he tries to cut himself off from his radical past and present himself as a moderate.
Last November, Syria became the 90th member country of the US-led anti-IS coalition. At one time, the organization controlled about 40 percent of Iraq and about a third of Syria. A military coalition began fighting IS in 2014. Baghdad, backed by US-led forces, claimed defeat of the terrorists in 2017, while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) succeeded two years later.
