BAGHDAD: The leader of a brutal militant group addressed worshippers in the militant-held Iraqi city of Mosul, ordering Muslims to `obey` him and calling for global jihad, in a video distributed online on Saturday.

The appearance by the hitherto elusive chief of Islamic State of Iraq and Al Sham (ISIS), Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, at a mosque in Mosul for Friday prayers marks a significant change for the militant leader whose group has overrun swathes of territory across Eve provinces north and west of Baghdad.

A video posted on social media showed a portly man clad in a long black robe and a black turban with a long greying beard addressing worshippers at weekly prayers at Al-Nur mosque in central Mosul.

`I am the wall (leader) who presides over you, though I am not the best of you, so if you see that I am right, assist me,` said the man, purportedly Baghdadi.

`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.

Text superimposed on the video identified the man as `Caliph Ibrahim`, the name Baghdadi has gone by since the group on June 29 declared a `caliphate` The videois said to be the first official appearance by Baghdadi.-AFP