DHAKA: Egypt’s most active militant group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, has sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), according to an audio clip posted on its Twitter account.

If genuine, the declaration of allegiance would be a boost for the IS, showing its widening influence in the region alongside its territorial advances in Iraq and Syria.

The Sinai-based militant group posted the clip, which is 9 minutes and 26 seconds in length, early on Monday morning on a Twitter account that calls itself the official mouthpiece of Ansar.

The clip was then carried on a website used by Islamists, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1233 HRS, NOV 10, 2014