"Leave my country alone", Lankan Prez Sirisena to ISIS chief Baghdadi

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena Wednesday asked Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to "leave my country alone" after the dreaded Islamic State leader claimed the massive suicide bombings in the island nation was a revenge attack for the fall of the Syrian town of Baghuz, the terror group's final bastion.

Sirisena also warned it may be possible Islamic State had launched a "new strategy" by targeting smaller countries, Sky News Wednesday quoted him as saying.

He said authorities were aware of a "small group" of Sri Lankans who had travelled abroad to receive training from Islamic State over the past decade.

In the Sky News interview, President Sirisena said he had a message for Islamic State: "Leave my country alone."

On Monday, Islamic State's media network published a video message purporting to come from its leader, Baghdadi.

The man in the IS propagada video, said to be Baghdadi referred to the deadly Easter Sunday attack in Sri Lanka and to the months-long fight for IS's final bastion