Islamic State Group Calls for Attacking Civilians

Fighters of the Islamic State militant group are ready to battle a U.S.-led military coalition seeking to destroy it, the group's spokesman said in a new audio recording in which he called on Muslims worldwide to kill civilians of nations that join the fight.

American and French warplanes have carried airstrikes against the group, and U.S. President Barack Obama is working to form a global coalition to confront the group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq.

The United States has rallied some 40 countries to take part in fighting the extremist group, and is also making plans to train up to 5,000 Syrian rebels in Saudi Arabia to be used in conjunction with potential U.S. airstrikes in Syria.

In a nearly 42-minute audio statement released online late Sunday, Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani said the coalition will not be able to defeat the jihadis. He called on Muslims everywhere to kill anyone whose country takes part in the attack.