Iraqi authorities this morning are looking at a video that purportedly shows the leader of the extremist terror group The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS, delivering a sermon in Mosul.
Iraq’s military spokesman said Sunday they’re trying to determine whether it really is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's notorious leader.
The timing of the video’s release appears to coincide with a declaration by ISIS last week of the creation of an Islamic state that stretches from the northeast city of Aleppo in Syria to Iraq's Diyala province.
ISIS has now declared itself simply The Islamic State, and proclaim their leader the “caliph” over all Muslims.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, left the door open in recent remarks to stepped-up U.S. military involvement in Iraq if it’s determined the ISIS militants pose a threat to the United States.
University of North Florida Distinguished Visiting Scholar Nancy Soderberg is a seasoned foreign policy strategist and a former high-ranking official with the National Security Council.
Soderberg and Parvez Ahmed, professor of finance at UNF’s Coggin College of Business and member of Jacksonville’s Human Rights Commission, joined Melissa Ross to examine the deep roots of this regional conflict and the rise of ISIS.
You can follow Melissa Ross on Twitter @MelissainJax.
