ISIS Vows ‘Victory’ In Iraq And Syria: Islamic State Fighters Urged ‘Not To Flee’ By New Spokesperson

The battles to oust the Islamic State group from strongholds in Iraq and Syria have not deterred the terror organization, according to a new report. Despite losing an increasing amount of territory in strategic areas in both Middle East countries, a new ISIS spokesperson has insisted the terror group will come out on the winning end.

Abulhassan al-Muhajer issued an audio-only statement Monday vowing "victory" for ISIS and imploring its fighters "not to flee," NDTV reported. The person who was previously identified as ISIS' official spokesperson was killed after a September airstrike in Raqaa, Syria, where the group had established its de facto capital.

United States-sponsored Kurdish forces in Iraq have been carrying out ground battles against ISIS in Iraq, where the terror group's fighters have been losing ground trying to defend the strategic city of Mosul. Still, al-Muhajer has been appealing to ISIS followers and sympathizers to increase attacks in the group's name, Reuters reported.

"Destroy their vehicles, raid them ... in their shelters so they can taste some of your misery and do not talk yourselves into fleeing," al-Muhajer last month. "Redouble your efforts and step up your operations."

A similar situation has also unfolded in Syria, where Kurdish forces have been shelling the town of Margada to rid the area of ISIS militants. ISIS "suffered heavy losses in manpower and equipment," as a result, journalist Payman Mirkham told local outlet ARA News.

With ISIS losing ground in both countries, the group could be looking to spread to other countries, especially those in the West. The group has already established itself in various parts of Africa as well as Europe, where the European Union's official law enforcement agency warned last week of impending attacks.

"Given that it is in the interests of IS (Islamic State) to inflame the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum, there is a risk of some infiltration of refugee camps and other groups," a Europol report recently released read. "A real and imminent danger is the possibility of elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora becoming vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and being specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters."