The message is from its spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi, and so far - nearly half the msg - he's only listing IS's history (predecessors, leaders, etc). Will see if he offers anything interesting, esp about the current leader
The IS slogan 'Baqiya' (here to stay) makes a strong comeback in this message. The spokesman says it repeatedly and defiantly
Also, stresses at least twice that IS is fighting in Syria, Iraq and other places but "has its sights on Jerusalem"
Says the new leader is determined to focus on fighting Jewish people, and therefore urges militants esp in Sinai and Syria to work towards that goal
No new info whatsoever about the new leader!
Typical IS message of calling for attacks left, right and centre. New thing: new focus on targeting Jews and "regaining Jerusalem".
Interesting bits: calls for supporters to migrate to IS "wilayat" (provinces) and training camps - that hasn't happened in a while. Tells its militants in Khorasan (Afghanistan) to be patient and not give up, acknowledging the setbacks they endured in the past months.
Tells IS-linked prisoners that the group hasn't forgotten about them and that it'll make every effort to free them
The message may have come as a disappointment to IS supporters. They were expecting a message from the new IS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurashi, who has not yet delivered any messages. His appointment was revealed by IS on 31 October.
The latest message from the spokesman offered no new information about the mysterious IS leader, about whom very little is known. The only thing it tells us is that he is determined in the new phase of IS's jihad to target Jews, with the group's "sights set on Jerusalem".
As with the new IS leader, the group has given no information about its new spokesman. We only know through his nom de guerre that he is an immigrant to the country where he is based and that he, like the leader, can trace his lineage to the Prophet Muhammad
Abu Hamza's strongly worded threats, using graphically violent language, are reminiscent of the manner of communication of IS's infamous spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani who was killed in August 2016.
Did IS time its message to coincide with Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 Jan?
