ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced changes to the group’s recruitment methods in a new speech, taking on a more concessional tone in what appears to be an effort to expand the pool from which fighters for the group are recruited. In an undated, 30-minute long audio recording published on ISIS Telegram channels on Monday, titled “Tell them: Work,” ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi vows that his group will persevere. "No matter how long it is, how complicated things get, and no matter reasons, there is no excuse for failing or passivity, or for confusion or doubts,” al-Baghdadi said. ISIS was declared defeated at the end of 2017 in Iraq and in March 2019 in Syria. The group has, however, remained active, reverting to hit and run tactics and sheltering in remote locations across the two countries. He claimed the militant group is also active elsewhere in the Middle East, in North Africa and in Southeast Asia, contending with its enemies in a "confident and solid" manner. "[ISIS] is moving forward in its path, confident in the victory of God." Detailing the nature of recent ISIS operations, Baghdadi spoke of “raids” that he says are “the first” in the history of jihadism. In a four-day operation titled Avenge the People of Levant," he claimed ISIS has conducted 92 operations in 80 different locations. He did not specify the operation’s start date. He also claimed 61 “attrition raid” operations took place in 11 eleven countries over the course of three days. Despite the defiance and assertion of continued fighting, the leader of the terrorist group spoke on a series of “topics” or questions that signify a significant shift in the group’s way of conduct. The ISIS leader conceded that the group is lacking in size, saying "we fight with our enemies and defeat them by their own sins. Otherwise, we don't have the power to match them because our number does not much theirs, nor are we as powerful as them." The Monday-released speech differs sharply from the triumphant tone he stroke in his last visual appearance on April 29, 2019, in which he was seen praising jihadi rank strength and cohesion. The concessions appear to be aimed at attracting attract a new pool of recruits and make peace with the Sunni Arab community, whose territories the group controlled. One of the topics was to call on the "people of Sunnah," to join the ranks and to "go easy" on people’s religious shortcomings, a tone of forgiveness unseen in the group’s brutal handing of people suspected of committing religious transgressions. "The first of these topics is inviting the people [to ISIS], especially the ordinary people of Sunnah, and being kind to them as it cannot be hidden from you the abject ignorance that has stormed the Ummah … producing a dimension removed from the original religion, and a spread of idolatry, innovation and myths, and all that was not sent by Allah." It is unclear if Baghdadi is also referring to Shiite Muslims, as the mention of Sunnah may exclusively refer to Sunni Arabs. A second change in position is to "accept the repentance" of those who have sinned, said al-Baghdadi, in a shift from the usual ISIS ideology that did not accept repentance from prisoners or anyone suspected of working against the group. Al-Baghdadi also spoke on "dealing with all the worshippers of Allah with science and truth, benevolence and fairness." An Iraqi terrorism expert remarked on the group’s shift in position after the video's release. “Fugitive al-Baghdadi, in an audio recording published by al-Furqat Foundation with the title ‘Tell them: work’, announced the start of a new phase following the announcement of defeat, a phase with four tasks; reconciling with the environment they were defeated in, recruiting following ascertaining the repentance of the recruited, continuation of united raids, and operations to break into prisons,” Husham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi terrorism expert, said in a tweet on Monday. In continued efforts to purge the group from its territory, Iraq yesterday announced the fifth phase of Operation of Will of Victory, to centre this time on Anbar and the Iraq-Saudi border.
