The Islamic State called on its followers to take advantage of the war in Ukraine to carry out attacks in Europe

The Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group on Sunday called on its followers to carry out attacks in Europe taking advantage of the war in Ukraine and launched a military campaign in revenge for the deaths of the former leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, and the spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Qurashi.

“Taking the good example of his brothers in Beit al-Maqdis (Israel) for his blessed operation a few days ago (...) Now they have the opportunity. Europe is burning and the crusaders are killing each other,” said the organization's new spokesman, Abu Omar al-Muhager, in a 33-minute audio message broadcast through his audiovisual production company Al Furqan on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of ramadan.

“It is a war, to which we ask God not to put down its fires until the worshipers of the cross burn and destroy their kingdom so that the Muslims have suffered,” he said at the end of the audio, broadcast on Telegram channels and whose authenticity could not be verified, referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February.

“The Crusaders' fear of war appeared clearly in Europe and the United States when it came to their territories,” Al Muhager said, stating that “the pride and barbarism of the Russians and their attempts to regain the glory of the Soviet Union and polarize the world forced Europeans and Americans to enter (at war) and to involve others so that they do not pay the price themselves”.

At the beginning of the clip, entitled “Fight against them and Allah will punish them with his hands”, the spokesman launched a new military campaign that he called “invasion” as “revenge for the death of the two sheikhs” in reference to the murder of the former leader and also of the spokesman.

This is the second voice message released by the spokesman after announcing last month the new ISIS successor, Abu al-Hasan al-Qurashi, about which no information is known, after his predecessor died in a US operation early last February in northwestern Syria.

Al Qurashi had been proclaimed a caliph by the Islamic State two years ago, after the death of his predecessor, Abu Bakr al-Bagdadi, in another US operation, but during his time at the head of a weakened organization stripped of the vast territories he had come to conquer in Syria and Iraq, his face was not known or heard his voice.

According to Washington's version, Al Qurashi was blown up by being surrounded by an action in which seven people, including his wife and at least two of his children, were killed.

(With information from EFE)

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