ISIS Spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani Calls on Supporters to Carry Out Terror Attacks in Europe, U.S.

In an audio message released on May 21, ISIS Spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani called on Supporters to Carry out Terror Attacks in Europe, U.S. Al-Adnani encouraged attacks against civilians, saying that "There are no so-called "innocent people" there."

Following are excerpts

Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani: We are not intimidated by your armies and multitudes, and we shall not be discouraged by your threats and attacks. You shall never win. You are defeated. Do you think, oh America, that killing a leader, or some leaders, spells victory? Such a victory is a false one. Do you think, oh America, that the loss of a city or of territory means defeat? Were we defeated when we lost the cities in Iraq and had to live in the desert with no city and no territory at all? Will we be defeated and you victorious if you capture Mosul, Sirte, Al-Raqqah, or all the cities, and we have to go back to where we were at first? No.

Defeat is when one loses one's resolve and fighting spirit. You will win, oh America, and the mujahideen will lose in one case only - if you manage to rip the Quran out of the chests of the Muslims. Where are the promised security, development, and prosperity? Are you lying, oh America, or are you incapable of delivering on your promises? Did you make the world a safer place by declaring war on us, oh America? Or did fear and destruction prevail, as witnessed by Canada, France, Tunisia, Turkey, and Belgium? Have you managed to eliminate terrorism and extinguish the flame of Jihad? Or has it flourished and encompassed the entire world?

[...]

Oh Muslims, we do not wage Jihad in order to defend territory, or in order to liberate or take control of land.

[...]

We have a special message to the soldiers of the Caliphate and its supporters in Europe and the US: Oh servants of Allah, oh monotheists, if the tyrants have shut the gates of hijra in your face, open the gates of Jihad in their faces, and make them regret what they have done. The smallest attack you carry out on their own turf is better and more beloved to us than the largest attack we carry out here. It is more useful to us and more harmful to them.

Just as you strive to get to the Islamic State, we strive to be in your place, in order to be able to torment the Crusaders constantly, day and night, striking terror in their midst until neighbors fear one another. So if anyone among you is incapable [of making hijra], he must not deem throwing stones at a Crusader on his own turf worthless. He must not view any such action with scorn, because its benefit for the mujahideen is great, and it has a pernicious effect on the infidels. We have been told that some of you cannot act because you lack access to military targets, yet feel uncomfortable to attack so-called "civilians." You refrain from doing so because you fear [civilians] are not a legitimate target. Know that in the countries of the combatant Crusaders there is none whose blood must not be shed. There are no so-called "innocent people" there.

[...]

Know that your targeting of so-called "civilians" is more beloved by us and more useful to us, because it is more painful and harmful to them, and serves better to deter them.

[...]