Iraqi insurgent leader makes first public appearance through video

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-claimed "Islamic State", made his first public appearance at a mosque in Iraq's Mosul city, according to a video clip posted on the Internet Saturday.

The video appearance came a few days after the Islamic State in Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), an Al Qaeda breakaway group, proclaimed the establishment of a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq, crowned its leader Baghdadi as the "caliph", and changed its name into the "Islamic State (IS)", Xinhua reported.

"I became your leader, though I am not the best of you, so if you see me right, assist me. If you see me wrong, advise me and put me on the right path, and obey me as long as I obey God with you," Xinhua quoted al-Baghdadi as saying during the Friday weekly prayer in the video.

However, the authenticity of the 21-minute long video could not be verified immediately.

The IS demanded allegiance from all Muslims worldwide, said the militant group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani in an on-line video clip released late last month.