Egypt: militant group pledges loyalty to IS

Iraqi authorities are investigating reports that Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike on Friday; no official confirmation on the events has been given so far.

In a audio clip uploaded on Ansar Beit al-Maqdis’ Twitter account, the group pledged its loyalty to IS, and called on other Muslims to follow its lead.

“We announce our pledge of allegiance to the caliph Ibrahim Ibn Awad… to listen and obey. We call on all Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the caliph and support him”, the recording said, referring to him by his other name. The move is the most significant show of support for IS from outside Syria and Iraq, indicating its growing influence over militant organizations.

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen since the Egyptian army deposed former President Mohamed Morsi last year. It remains to be seen if the shift in allegiance will cause the group to change its tactics and strike Western targets in the country, as demanded by IS.

On Friday, US air raids hit a IS leadership meeting near the northern city Mosul, the Pentagon said, setting off reports that Baghdadi may have been either wounded or killed there, or in a different strike in the province of Anbar.

The death of Baghdadi would be a considerable victory for the global coalition led by the US; however, Iraqi and US officials did not confirm that he was targeted in the strike. It is possible that they didn’t know that he was at the meeting, given the lack of intelligence from IS-controlled parts of Syria and Iraq.