BAGHDAD: The leader of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ordered all Muslims to obey him in a video released on Saturday on social media.
"I am the wali (leader) who presides over you, though I am not the best of you, so if you see that I am right, assist me," he said, wearing a black turban and robe.
"If you see that I am wrong, advise me and put me on the right track, and obey me as long as I obey God in you."
AFP was not immediately able to confirm the authenticity of the video showing Baghdadi, of whom there were previously only two known photographs.
The video is the first ever official appearance by Baghdadi, according to Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on Islamist movements, though the militants leader may have appeared in a 2008 video under a different name.
"God gave your mujahedeen brothers victory after long years of jihad and patience so they declared the caliphate and placed the caliph in charge," he said.
"This is a duty on Muslims that has been lost for centuries," he added, sporting a long and slightly greying beard, as he addressed the faithful from the mosque.
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