ISIL leader rallies militants in Mosul, reports say

The leader of the Islamic State group rallied his militants, especially those in Mosul, to obey orders and remain resilient in a new audio recording, according to a jihadist monitoring group.

The man purporting to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi also called on extremists to launch attacks in Turkey and Saudi Arabia in a message lasting more than 30 minutes that was released late Wednesday, the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said.

“Oh you who seek martyrdom! Start your actions! Turn the night of the disbelievers into day. Totally decimate their territories, and make their blood flow like rivers!” he said.

“Holding your ground in honor is a thousand times better than retreating in disgrace,” he added, according to CNN

"You need to be one and united in your fight against your enemy. You should seek to raise the word of God on Earth.”

The extremist said Shiite Muslims want to drive “empty Iraq of Sunnis and replace them with the worst of people,” using a derogatory term for members of the minority branch of Islam.

He called for militants to “respond to all attacks,” and to “target all in their media and forces, and all who belong to them.”

Baghdadi last released a recording in December. The latest release couldn’t be independently verified by USA TODAY.

Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was captured by the militant group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, in 2014. Iraqi special forces entered the eastern outskirts of the city on Tuesday. The battle to retake it has been raging for more than two weeks.

An estimated 5,000 ISIL members remain in Mosul, according to CNN.