According to a report by the Kuwaiti daily al-Watan, Omar Bakri has asserted that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) which is one of al-Qaeda’s offshoots in operating in Syria, is planning to move to the volatile region of Sinai Peninsula which is situated between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south.

Bakri told al-Qatan that, Al-Baghdadi is not only seeking to attach Sinai to the Levant, but he wants to link it to the whole region to make a new emirate which will then turn to a bigger one and go round the earth to reach to the White House. 

He said Baghdadi believes implementation of his plan depends on how 'willing people are to cooperate', otherwise large battles are expected to come.

Speaking about Abu Sayyaf al-Ansari who launched the ISIL branch in Lebanon and whether he is a real person or not, Bakri said, “Al-Qaeda leadership’s strategy is based on security, he knows others but others don’t know him, he beats but never gets beaten, he sees others but others don’t see him, he comes and goes like a cleric to be able to go anywhere”.

He continued that there is not much information about Abu Sayyaf, except the fact that al-Baghdadi wants him to run the ISIL in Lebanon.

Earlier this month, man introducing himself as Abu Sayyaf al-Ansari, released a recording in which he said “We pledge allegiance to [ISIL chief] Abu Bakr al-Husseini al-Qurshi al-Baghdadi to listen and obey”.

ISIL, also referred as ISIS, entered Syria as al-Qaeda’s main branch to fight against the Syrian army and topple the government. It now controls large areas of northern Syria, where the war has raged for nearly three years.

The group was later replaced by al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahiri with al-Nusra Front which fighting on behalf of al-Qaeda in Syria and is one of the strongest armed forces cooperating with Syria’s US-backed opposition.

SHI/SHI