Sources from Colombo stated that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday asked Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to "leave my country alone" after the dreaded Islamic State leader claimed the massive suicide bombings in the island nation was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group's final bastion. Reportedly Sirisena also warned it may be possible Islamic State had launched a "new strategy" by targeting smaller countries, Sky News Wednesday quoted him as saying.
Furthermore he said authorities were aware of a "small group" of Sri Lankans who had traveled abroad to receive training from Islamic State over the past decade. Reportedly in the Sky News interview, President Sirisena said he had a message for Islamic State "Leave my country alone." On Monday, Islamic State's media network published a video message purporting to come from its leader, Baghdadi.
Moreover the man in the IS propaganda video, said to be Baghdadi referred to the deadly Easter Sunday attack in Sri Lanka and to the months-long fight for IS's final bastion Baghouz, which concluded in March. He said "The battle for Baghouz is over". Further in a segment where Baghdadi is not seen, his voice referred to the April 21 attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed 253 people and wounded nearly 500, as "vengeance for their brothers in Baghouz".
