ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani promised that the battle would „rage“ on Baghdad and Karbala, a city southwest of the capital that is considered one of the holiest sites for Shiite Muslims, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

„Do not relent against your enemy… The battle is not yet raging, but it will rage in Baghdad and Karbala,“ Adnani said, according to a SITE translation of an audio statement released on the militants‘ Twitter feed.