Politics
Islamic State, Largely Defeated at Home, Is Rebuilding in Africa
Even if it doesn’t capture a lot of territory, it benefits from showing global reach.
A mosque in northeastern Nigeria established by the founder of Boko Haram.
Photographer: Marco Gualazzini/contrasto/ReduxThis article is for subscribers only.
Sitting cross-legged with a Kalashnikov rifle by his side, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State, used his first video appearance in five years to reassure his followers that he was far from defeated.
Recorded in a secret location and released at the end of April, the video showed the jihadi leader calmly reflecting on the loss of Islamic State’s last swath of Middle Eastern territory in March, largely to a coalition of U.S. and Kurdish forces. He spoke about the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka that killed more than 250 people, which were claimed by the Sunni group, and said Islamic State would now take its battle across the world.