islamic state of iraq and the levant
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Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"ISIL", "Isil", "ISIS", "Daish", and "Daesh" redirect here. For other uses, see ISIL, Isis, and Daish."Islamic State group" redirects here. For other Islamic states, see Islamic state.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levantوالشام العراق في اإلسالمية الدولة (Arabic)
ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fīl-ʿIrāq wash-Shām
Participant in: the Syrian Civil War, Iraq War (2003–2011), Iraqi insurgency, Second Libyan Civil War, Boko Haram insurgency, War in North-West Pakistan, War in Afghanistan,
Yemeni Civil War, and other conflicts
Primary target of: The Global War on Terrorism and of the Military interventions against ISIL: in Syria, in Iraq, in Libya, and
in Nigeria.
Flag
Motto: وتتمدد باقيةBāqiyah wa-Tatamaddad
"Remaining and Expanding"[1]
Anthem: فجر الح قد أمتيUmmatī, qad lāha fajrun
"My Nation, A Dawn Has Appeared"[2][3]
Military situation as of 13 April 2015, in the Iraqi and Syrian conflicts.
Controlled by Iraqi Government forces
Controlled by Syrian Government forces
Controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Controlled by Iraqi Kurdistan forces
Controlled by Syrian Kurdistan forces
Controlled by Syrian Opposition forces
Controlled by al-Nusra
Note: Iraq and Syria contain large desert areas with limited population.
These areas are mapped as under the control of forces holding roads and
towns within them.
Map of the current military situation in Syria
Map of the current military situation in Iraq
Map of the current military situation in Libya
Map of the current military situation in Yemen
Administrative centerAr-Raqqah, Syria(de facto capital)
[4][5][6][7]
35°57′N 39°1′E
Largest city Mosul, Iraq
Ideology
Wahhabism [8] [9] Salafi jihadism [8] [10] Salafism [8] [10] Sunni Islamism
Type
Rebel group controlling territoryCurrent control in
Syria [11] Iraq [11] Libya [12] Nigeria [13] [14]
Military strength & operation areas
Inside Syria and Iraq200,000[15] (Kurdish claim)
20,000–31,000 (CIA estimate)Outside Syria and Iraq32,500–57,800 (See Military of ISIL for more-detailed estimates.)Estimated total52,500–257,800
Leaders - Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi [16]
- Deputy leader in IraqAbu Muslim al-Turkmani † [17] [18]
- Deputy leader in Syria Abu Ali al-Anbari [18] - Head of Military Shura Abu Ayman al-Iraqi [19]
- SpokesmanAbu Mohammad al-Adnani [20] [21]
- Field commander Abu Omar al-Shishani [22] Establishment
- Formation (as Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād)
1999[23]
- Joined al-Qaeda October 2004
- Declaration of an Islamic state in Iraq
13 October 2006
- Claim of territory in the Levant
8 April 2013
- Separated from al-Qaeda [24] [25] 3 February 2014[26] - Declaration of Caliphate 29 June 2014
-
Claim of territory in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan
13 November 2014
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL / ̍ aɪ s ə l / ; Arabic: العراق في اإلسالمية الدولة also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of Iraq and ,(والشامash-Sham (ISIS / ̍ aɪ s ɪ s / )[27] or simply Islamic State,[28] is an Islamic extremist rebel group controlling territory in at least four countries, including Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Nigeria,[14] with operations or affiliates in Lebanon, Egypt, and other areas of the Middle East,[29] North and West Africa,[13] South,[30] and Southeast Asia.[30][31] The group is known in Arabic as ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fīl-ʿIrāq wash-Shām, leading to the acronym Da'ish or DAESH (داعش, Arabic
pronunciation: [ˈdaːʕiʃ]), the Arabic equivalent of "ISIL".[27] On 29 June 2014, the group proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi being named its caliph,[32] and renamed itself "Islamic State" ( اإلسالمية الدولة , ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah). The new name and the idea of a caliphate has been widely criticised and condemned, with the UN, various governments and mainstream Muslim groups refusing to acknowledge it.[33] As caliphate, it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide and that "the legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organisations, becomes null by the expansion of the khilāfah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas".[34][35] Many Islamic and non-Islamic communities judge the group unrepresentative of Islam.
The United Nations has held ISIL responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a "historic scale". The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Egypt, India, and Russia. Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIL.
The group originated as Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999, which was renamed Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn—commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)—when the group pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2004. As Jama'at and later AQI, beginning in August 2003, the group participated in the Iraqi insurgency, which had followed the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. In January 2006, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council, which in October 2006 proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). ISI gained a significant presence in the governorates of Al Anbar, Diyala and Baghdad.
Under the leadership of al-Baghdadi, ISI sent delegates into Syria in August 2011 after the Syrian Civil War had begun in March 2011. This group named itself Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām or al-Nusra Front, and established a large presence in Sunni-majority areas of Syria within the governorates of Ar-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo.[36] In April 2013, al-Baghdadi announced the merger of his ISI with al-Nusra Front, and announced that the name of the reunited group was now the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). However, both Abu Mohammad al-Julani and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leaders of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda respectively, rejected the merger. After an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIL on 3 February 2014, citing its failure to consult and "notorious intransigence".[26][37]
ISIL is known for its well-funded web and social media propaganda, which includes Internet videos of the beheadings of soldiers, civilians, journalists and aid workers, as well as the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage sites.[38]
The group gained notoriety after it drove the Iraqi government forces out of key western cities in Iraq. In Syria, it conducted ground attacks against both government forces and rebel factions in the Syrian Civil War. It gained those territories after an offensive, initiated in early 2014, which senior US military commanders and members of the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs saw as a re-emergence of Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda militants. This territorial loss almost caused a collapse of the Iraqi government that prompted renewal of US military action in Iraq.[39]
Contents
1 Name 2 History
o 2.1 Foundation of the group (1999–2006)
o 2.2 As Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
2.2.1 Syrian Civil War (2011–present)
o 2.3 As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–14)
o 2.4 As self-proclaimed Islamic State (June 2014–present)
3 Group goals, structure and characteristics
o 3.1 Goals
o 3.2 Ideology and beliefs
3.2.1 Eschatology
3.2.2 Theological objections
o 3.3 Territorial claims and international presence
3.3.1 Libyan Provinces
3.3.2 Sinai Province
3.3.3 Algerian Province
3.3.4 Khorasan Province
3.3.5 Sanaa Province
o 3.4 Other areas of operation
o 3.5 Leadership and governance
o 3.6 Non-combatants
4 Designation as a terrorist organisation
5 Human rights abuse and war crime findings
o 5.1 Religious and minority group persecution
o 5.2 Treatment of civilians
o 5.3 Child soldiers
o 5.4 Sexual violence and slavery
o 5.5 Attacks on members of the press
o 5.6 Beheadings and mass executions
o 5.7 Destruction of cultural and religious heritage
6 Criticism
o 6.1 Islamic criticism
o 6.2 International criticism
o 6.3 Criticism of the name "Islamic State" and "caliphate" declaration
o 6.4 Views of ISIL as Islamic
7 Analysis
o 7.1 Conspiracy theories in the Arab world
8 Countries and groups at war with ISIL
o 8.1 Opposition within Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and other nations
o 8.2 American-led coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
o 8.3 Other state opponents
o 8.4 Other non-state opponents
9 Supporters
o 9.1 Foreign nationals
o 9.2 Groups with expressions of support
o 9.3 Allegations of Turkish support
o 9.4 Allegations of Saudi Arabian support
o 9.5 Allegations of Syrian support
o 9.6 Allegations of United States support
10 Military and resources
o 10.1 Military
10.1.1 Foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq
o 10.2 Weapons
10.2.1 Conventional weapons
10.2.2 Non-conventional weapons
o 10.3 Propaganda and social media
o 10.4 Finances
10.4.1 Oil revenues
10.4.2 Sale of antiques and artefacts
10.4.3 Taxation and extortion
10.4.4 Donations
11 Timeline of recent events
o 11.1 March 2015
o 11.2 April 2015
12 See also
13 References
14 Bibliography
15 External links
Name
The group has had various names.[40]
1. The group was founded in 1999 by Jordanian radical Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād, "The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad" (JTJ).[23]
2. In October 2004, al-Zarqawi swore loyalty to Osama bin Laden and changed the group's name to Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn, "The Organisation of Jihad's Base in Mesopotamia", commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq. (AQI).[40][41] Although the group has never called itself al-Qaeda in Iraq, this has been its informal name over the years.[42]
3. In January 2006, AQI merged with several other Iraqi insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council.[43] Al-Zarqawi was killed in June 2006.
4. On 12 October 2006, the Mujahideen Shura Council merged with several more insurgent factions, and on 13 October the establishment of the ad-Dawlah al-ʻIraq al-Islāmiyah, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), was announced.[44] The leaders of this group were Abu Abdullah al-Rashid al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri.[45] After they were killed in a U.S.–Iraqi operation in April 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the new leader of the group.
5. On 8 April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the name Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which more fully translates as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.[46][47][48] These names are translations of the Arabic name ad-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah fīl-ʻIrāq wash-Shām,[49][50] al-Shām being a description of the Levant or Greater Syria.[27] The translated names are commonly abbreviated as ISIL or ISIS, with a debate over which of these acronyms should be used.[27][50] The Washington Post concluded that the distinction between the two "is not so great".[27]
6. The name Daʿish is often used by ISIL's Arabic-speaking detractors. It is based on the Arabic letters Dāl, alif, ʻayn, and shīn, which form the acronym (داعش) of ISIL's Arabic
name al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī al-ʻIrāq wa-al-Shām.[51][52] There are many spellings of this acronym, with DAESH gaining acceptance. ISIL considers the name Da'ish derogatory, because it sounds similar to the Arabic words Daes, "one who crushes something underfoot", and Dahes, "one who sows discord".[53][54] ISIL also reportedly uses flogging as a punishment for those who use the name in ISIL-controlled areas.[55][56]
7. On 14 May 2014, the United States Department of State announced its decision to use "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) as the group's primary name.[51] However, in late 2014, top U.S. officials shifted toward DAESH, since it was the preferred term used by Arab partners.[53]
8. On 29 June 2014, the group renamed itself the Islamic State (IS) and declared it was a worldwide "caliphate".[32][57][58] "Accordingly, the 'Iraq and Shām' in the name of the Islamic State is henceforth removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name is the Islamic State from the date of this declaration." This name and the idea of a caliphate has been widely criticised, with the UN, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups refusing to use it.[59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67]
History
Part of a series on the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant history
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999–2004)
Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (2004–06)
Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)
Islamic State of Iraq (2006–13)
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–14)
Self-proclaimed as the Islamic State (June 2014–present)
By topic
Beheadings
Black Standard
Destruction of cultural heritage
Human rights
List of battles
Members
Military
Territorial claims
Timeline
Caliphate
Administrative divisions
Category
Portal
v
t
e
See also: Timeline of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant events, Islamic State of Iraq § Timeline, Syrian Civil War § Course of events and Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2014
Outline of history – with links to content below
As Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad) (1999–2004)As Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (al-Qaeda in Iraq) (2004–2006)As Mujahideen Shura Council (2006)As Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–2014)As self-proclaimed " Islamic State " (June 2014–present)
Foundation of the group (1999–2006)
Main articles: Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn and Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Jordanian Salafi Jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his militant group Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, founded in 1999, achieved notoriety in the early stages of the Iraqi insurgency for the suicide attacks on Shia Islamic mosques, civilians, Iraqi government institutions and Italian soldiers partaking in the US-led 'Multi-National Force'. Al-Zarqawi's group officially pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in October 2004, changing its name to Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn ( في الجهاد قاعدة تنظيم
الرافدين بالد , "Organisation of Jihad's Base in Mesopotamia"), also known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).[24][68][69] Attacks by the group on civilians, Iraqi Government and security forces, foreign diplomats and soldiers, and American convoys continued with roughly the same intensity. In a letter to al-Zarqawi in July 2005, al-Qaeda's then deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri outlined a four-stage plan to expand the Iraq War. The plan included expelling US forces from Iraq, establishing an Islamic authority as a caliphate, spreading the conflict to Iraq's secular neighbours, and clashing with Israel, which the letter says "was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity".[70]
Iraqi insurgents in 2006
In January 2006, AQI joined hands with several smaller Iraqi insurgent groups under an umbrella organisation called the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC). This was claimed by Brian Fishman in the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science to be little more than a media exercise and an attempt to give the group a more Iraqi flavour and perhaps to distance al-Qaeda from some of al-Zarqawi's tactical errors, more notably the 2005 bombings by AQI of three hotels in Amman.[71] On 7 June 2006, a US airstrike killed al-Zarqawi, who was succeeded as leader of the group by the Egyptian militant Abu Ayyub al-Masri.[72][73]
On 12 October 2006, MSC united with three smaller groups and six Sunni Islamic tribes to form the "Mutayibeen Coalition". It swore by Allah "...to rid Sunnis from the oppression of the rejectionists (Shi'ite Muslims) and the crusader occupiers, ... to restore rights even at the price of our own lives... to make Allah's word supreme in the world, and to restore the glory of Islam...".[74][75] A day later, MSC declared the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), which should comprise Iraq's six mostly Sunni Arab governorates,[76] with Abu Omar al-Baghdadi being announced as its Emir.[44][77] Al-Masri was given the title of Minister of War within the ISI's ten-member cabinet.[78]
A joint US–Iraqi training exercise near Ramadi in November 2009. The Islamic State of Iraq had declared the city to be its capital.
As Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)
Main article: Islamic State of Iraq
According to a study compiled by U.S. intelligence agencies in early 2007, the ISI – also known as AQI – planned to seize power in the central and western areas of the country and turn it into a Sunni Islamic state.[79] The group built in strength and at its height enjoyed a significant presence in the Iraqi governorates of Al Anbar, Diyala and Baghdad, and claimed Baqubah as a capital city.[80][81][82][83]
The U.S. troops surge of 2007 supplied the U.S. military with more manpower for operations targeting the group, resulting in dozens of high-level AQI members being captured or killed.[84]
Between July and October 2007, al-Qaeda in Iraq or ISI seemed to have lost their secure military bases in Anbar province and the Baghdad area.[85] During 2008, a series of U.S. and Iraqi offensives managed to drive out the AQI-aligned insurgents from their former safe havens, such as the Diyala and Al Anbar governorates, to the area of the northern city of Mosul, the latest major battleground against ISI.[86]
By 2008, the ISI was describing itself as being in a state of "extraordinary crisis".[87] Its violent attempts to govern its territory led to a backlash from Sunni Iraqis and other insurgent groups and a temporary decline in the group, which was attributable to a number of factors,[88] notably the Anbar Awakening.
In late 2009, the commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, stated that the ISI "has transformed significantly in the last two years. What once was dominated by foreign individuals has now become more and more dominated by Iraqi citizens".[89] On 18 April 2010, the ISI's two top leaders, Abu Ayyub al-Masri and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, were killed in a joint U.S.-Iraqi raid near Tikrit.[90] In a press conference in June 2010, General Odierno reported that 80% of the ISI's top 42 leaders, including recruiters and financiers, had been killed or captured, with only eight remaining at large. He said that they had been cut off from al-Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan.[91][92][93]
On 16 May 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed as the new leader of the Islamic State of Iraq.[94][95] Al-Baghdadi replenished the group's leadership, many of whom had been killed or
captured, by appointing former Ba'athist military and intelligence officers who had served during the Saddam Hussein regime. These men, nearly all of whom had spent time imprisoned by the U.S. military, came to make up about one-third of Baghdadi's top 25 commanders. One of them was a former Colonel, Samir al-Khlifawi, also known as Haji Bakr, who became the overall military commander in charge of overseeing the group's operations.[96][97]
In July 2012, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement online announcing that the group was returning to the former strongholds from which U.S. troops and their Sunni allies had driven them in 2007 and 2008.[98] He also declared the start of a new offensive in Iraq called Breaking the Walls, aimed at freeing members of the group held in Iraqi prisons.[98] Violence in Iraq had begun to escalate in June 2012, primarily by AQI's car bomb attacks, and by July 2013, monthly fatalities had exceeded 1,000 for the first time since April 2008.[99]
Syrian Civil War (2011–present)
In March 2011, protests began in Syria against the government of Bashar al-Assad. In the following months, violence between demonstrators and security forces led to a gradual militarisation of the conflict.[100] In August 2011, al-Baghdadi began sending Syrian and Iraqi ISI members experienced in guerilla warfare across the border into Syria to establish an organisation inside the country. Led by a Syrian known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, this group began to recruit fighters and establish cells throughout the country.[101][102] On 23 January 2012, the group announced its formation as Jabhat al-Nusra li Ahl as-Sham—Jabhat al-Nusra—more commonly known as the al-Nusra Front. Al-Nusra grew rapidly into a capable fighting force, with popular support among Syrians opposed to the Assad government.[101]
As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–14)
Main article: Timeline of events related to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Islamic State fighters in 2014, seen here in Anbar province, with Abu Waheeb in the foreground.
On 8 April 2013, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement in which he announced that the al-Nusra Front had been established, financed, and supported by the Islamic State of Iraq,[103] and that the two groups were merging under the name "Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham".[46] Al-Jawlani issued a statement denying the merger, and complaining that neither he nor anyone else in al-Nusra's leadership had been consulted about it.[104] In June 2013, Al Jazeera reported that it had obtained a letter written by al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, addressed to both leaders, in which he ruled against the merger, and appointed an emissary to oversee relations between them to put an end to tensions.[105] The same month, al-Baghdadi released an audio message rejecting al-Zawahiri's ruling and declaring that the merger was going ahead.[106] The ISIL
campaign to free imprisoned ISIL members culminated in July 2013, with the group carrying out simultaneous raids on Taji and Abu Ghraib prison, freeing more than 500 prisoners, many of them veterans of the Iraqi insurgency.[99][107] In October 2013, al-Zawahiri ordered the disbanding of ISIL, putting al-Nusra Front in charge of jihadist efforts in Syria,[108] but al-Baghdadi contested al-Zawahiri's ruling on the basis of Islamic jurisprudence,[106] and his group continued to operate in Syria. In February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda disavowed any relations with ISIL.[37]
According to journalist Sarah Birke, there are "significant differences" between the al-Nusra Front and ISIL. While al-Nusra actively calls for the overthrow of the Assad government, ISIL "tends to be more focused on establishing its own rule on conquered territory". ISIL is "far more ruthless" in building an Islamic state, "carrying out sectarian attacks and imposing sharia law immediately". While al-Nusra has a "large contingent of foreign fighters", it is seen as a home-grown group by many Syrians; by contrast, ISIL fighters have been described as "foreign 'occupiers'" by many Syrian refugees.[109] It has a strong presence in central and northern Syria, where it has instituted sharia in a number of towns.[109] The group reportedly controlled the four border towns of Atmeh, al-Bab, Azaz and Jarablus, allowing it to control the entrance and exit from Syria into Turkey.[109] Foreign fighters in Syria include Russian-speaking jihadists who were part of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA).[110] In November 2013, the JMA's Chechen leader Abu Omar al-Shishani swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi;[111] the group then split between those who followed al-Shishani in joining ISIL and those who continued to operate independently in the JMA under new leadership.[112]
In January 2014, rebels affiliated with the Islamic Front and the U.S.-trained Free Syrian Army [113] launched an offensive against ISIL militants in and around the city of Aleppo in Syria.[114][115] In May 2014, Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered al-Nusra Front to stop its attacks on its rival, ISIL.[116] In June 2014, after continued fighting between the two groups, al-Nusra's branch in the Syrian town of Al-Bukamal pledged allegiance to ISIL.[117][118] In mid-June 2014, ISIL captured the Trabil crossing on the Jordan–Iraq border,[119] the only border crossing between the two countries.[120] ISIL has received some public support in Jordan, albeit limited, partly owing to state repression there,[121] but ISIL has undertaken a recruitment drive in Saudi Arabia,[122] where tribes in the north are linked to those in western Iraq and eastern Syria.[123]
As self-proclaimed Islamic State (June 2014–present)
See also: ISIL beheading incidents, American-led intervention in Syria, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) and Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War
On 29 June 2014, the organisation proclaimed a Worldwide Caliphate.[124] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—known by his supporters as Amir al-Mu'minin, Caliph Ibrahim—was named its Caliph, and the group renamed itself the "Islamic State".[32] As a "Caliphate," it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide.[35][125] The concept of a Caliphate and the name "Islamic State" has been rejected by governments and Muslim leaders worldwide.[59][60][61][62][63][64]
[65][66][67]
In June and July 2014, Jordan and Saudi Arabia moved troops to their borders with Iraq, after Iraq lost control of, or withdrew from, strategic crossing points that had then come under the control of ISIL, or tribes that supported ISIL.[120][126] There was speculation that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had ordered a withdrawal of troops from the Iraq–Saudi crossings in order "to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia and bring the threat of ISIS over-running its borders as well".[123]
In July 2014, ISIL recruited more than 6,300 fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, some of whom were thought to have previously fought for the Free Syrian Army.[127] Also, on 23 July 2014, Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon swore loyalty to al-Baghdadi in a video, along with the rest of the organisation, giving ISIL a presence in the Philippines.[31][128] In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people for ransoming, in the name of ISIL.[129]
Yazidi refugees and American aid workers on Mount Sinjar in August 2014
On 3 August 2014, ISIL captured the cities of Zumar, Sinjar, and Wana in northern Iraq.[130] The need for food and water for thousands of Yazidis, who fled up a mountain out of fear of approaching hostile ISIL militants, and the threat of genocide to Yazidis and others as announced by ISIL, in addition to protecting Americans in Iraq and supporting Iraq in its fight against the group, were reasons for the U.S. to launch a humanitarian mission on 7 August 2014, to aid the Yazidis stranded on Mount Sinjar [131] and to start an aerial bombing campaign in Iraq on 8 August.
On 11 October 2014, ISIL dispatched 10,000 militants from Syria and Mosul to capture the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad,[132] and Iraqi Army forces and Anbar tribesmen threatened to abandon their weapons if the U.S. did not send in ground troops to halt ISIL's advance.[133] On 13 October, ISIL fighters advanced to within 25 kilometres—15.5 miles—of Baghdad Airport.[134]
At the end of October 2014, 800 radical militants gained control of the Libyan city of Derna and pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, thus making Derna the first city outside Syria and Iraq to be a part of the "Islamic State Caliphate."[135] On 2 November 2014, according to the Associated Press, in response to the coalition airstrikes, representatives from Ahrar ash-Sham attended a meeting with the al-Nusra Front, the Khorasan Group, ISIL, and Jund al-Aqsa, which sought to unite these hard-line groups against the U.S.-led coalition and moderate Syrian rebel groups.[136] However, by 14 November 2014, it was revealed that the negotiations had failed.[137] On 10 November 2014, a major faction of the Egyptian militant group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis also pledged its allegiance to ISIL.[138]
In mid-January 2015, a Yemeni official said that ISIL had "dozens" of members in Yemen, and that they were coming into direct competition with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with their recruitment drive.[139]
In January 2015, Afghan officials confirmed that ISIL had a military presence in Afghanistan,[140]
recruiting over 135 militants by late January. However, by the end of January 2015, 65 of the militants were either captured or killed by the Taliban, and ISIL's top Afghan recruiter, Mullah Abdul Rauf, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in February 2015.[141][142][143]
In late January 2015, it was revealed that ISIL members infiltrated the European Union and disguised themselves as civilian refugees who were emigrating from the war zones of Iraq and the Levant.[144] An ISIL representative said that ISIL had successfully smuggled 4,000 fighters, and that the smuggled fighters were planning attacks in Europe in retaliation for the airstrikes carried out against ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria. However, experts believe that the claim of 4,000 was exaggerated to boost their stature and spread fear, although they acknowledged that some Western countries were aware of the smuggling.[145]
In early February 2015, ISIL militants in Libya managed to capture part of the countryside to the west of Sabha, and later, an area encompassing the cities of Sirte, Nofolia, and a military base to the south of both cities.
In February 2015, it was reported that the majority of Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen had dissented from al-Qaeda and pledged allegiance to ISIL.[146]
On 16 February 2015, Egypt began conducting airstrikes in Libya, in retaliation against ISIL's beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians. By the end of that day, 64 ISIL militants in Libya had been killed by the airstrikes, including 50 militants in Derna.[147]
By early March 2015, ISIL had captured additional territory in Libya, including a city to the west of Derna, additional areas near Sirte, a stretch of land in southern Libya, some areas around Benghazi, and an area to the east of Tripoli.
On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram swore formal allegiance to ISIL, giving ISIL an official presence in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.[13][148][149] On 13 March 2015, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to ISIL.[150] On 30 March 2015, the senior sharia official of Ansar al-Sharia in Libya, Abdullah Al-Libi, defected to ISIL.[151]
From March through mid-April 2015, advances by Iraqi forces into ISIL-controlled territory were focused on Tikrit and the Saladin Governorate.[152]
Group goals, structure and characteristics
Goals
Since at least 2004, a significant goal of the group has been the foundation of an Islamic state.[153]
[154] Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as a Caliphate, an Islamic state led by a group
of religious authorities under a supreme leader—the Caliph—who is believed to be the successor to Muhammad.[155] In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad,[155] and upon proclaiming a new Caliphate on 29 June, the group appointed al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As Caliph, he demands the allegiance of all devout Muslims worldwide, according to Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).[156]
When the Caliphate was proclaimed, ISIL stated: "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas."[155] This was a rejection of the political divisions in the Middle East that were established by Western powers during World War I in the Sykes–Picot Agreement.[157]
[158][159]
Ideology and beliefs
Main article: Ideology of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
ISIL is a Salafi group.[160][161] It follows an extreme interpretation of Islam, promotes religious violence, and regards those who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates.[10] According to Hayder al Khoei, ISIL's philosophy is represented by the symbolism in the Black Standard variant of the legendary battle flag of Muhammad that it has adopted: the flag shows the Seal of Muhammad within a white circle, with the phrase above it, "There is no God but Allah".[162] Such symbolism has been said to point to ISIL's belief that it represents the restoration of the caliphate of early Islam, with all the political, religious and eschatological ramifications that this would imply.[163]
According to some observers, ISIL emerged from the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, the first post-Ottoman Islamist group dating back to the late 1920s in Egypt.[164] It adheres to global jihadist principles and follows the hard-line ideology of al-Qaeda and many other modern-day jihadist groups.[10][26]
However, other sources trace the group's roots not to the Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood and the more mainstream jihadism of al-Qaeda, but to Wahhabism. The New York Times wrote:
For their guiding principles, the leaders of the Islamic State ... are open and clear about their almost exclusive commitment to the Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam. The group circulates images of Wahhabi religious textbooks from Saudi Arabia in the schools it controls. Videos from the group’s territory have shown Wahhabi texts plastered on the sides of an official missionary van.[165]
ISIL aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejecting all innovations in the religion, which it believes corrupts its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and the Ottoman Empire for deviating from what it calls pure Islam,[166] and seeks to revive the original Wahhabi project of the restoration of the caliphate governed by strict Salafist doctrine. Following Salafi-Wahhabi tradition, ISIL condemns the followers of secular law as disbelievers, putting the current Saudi government in that category.[167]
Salafists such as ISIL believe that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of jihad, and that the first priority over other areas of combat, such as fighting non-Muslim countries, is the purification of Islamic society. For example, ISIL regards the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad and it regards fighting Hamas as the first step toward confrontation with Israel.[165][168]
Eschatology
One difference between ISIL and other Islamist and jihadist movements is its emphasis on eschatology and apocalypticism, and its belief that the arrival of the Mahdi is imminent. ISIL believes it will defeat the army of "Rome" at the town of Dabiq in fulfilment of prophecy.[169]
Theological objections
According to The New York Times, "All of the most influential jihadist theorists are criticizing the Islamic State as deviant, calling its self-proclaimed caliphate null and void" and have denounced it for its beheading of journalists and aid workers.[165] ISIL is widely denounced by a broad range of Islamic clerics, including al-Qaeda-oriented and Saudi clerics.[8][165]
Sunni critics, including Salafi and jihadist muftis such as Adnan al-Aroor and Abu Basir al-Tartusi, say that ISIL and related terrorist groups are not Sunnis, but modern-day Khawarij—Muslims who have stepped outside the mainstream of Islam—serving an imperial anti-Islamic agenda.[170][171] Other critics of ISIL's brand of Sunni Islam include Salafists who previously publicly supported jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda, for example the Saudi government official Saleh Al-Fawzan, known for his extremist views, who claims that ISIL is a creation of "Zionists, Crusaders and Safavids", and the Jordanian-Palestinian writer Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the former spiritual mentor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was released from prison in Jordan in June 2014 and accuses ISIL of driving a wedge between Muslims.[171]
Territorial claims and international presence
Main article: ISIL territorial claims
Areas controlled (as of 6 April 2015) Remaining territory in countries with ISIL presence
In Iraq and Syria, ISIL uses many of the existing Governorate boundaries to subdivide its claimed territory; it calls these divisions wilayah or provinces.[172] As of February 2015, it claims a total 24 provincial divisions divided between Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), Saudi
Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of these countries, it controls territory in Iraq, Syria, Sinai, and eastern Libya.[173][174] ISIL also has members in Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Israel and Palestine, but it does not control territory in these areas.[173]
Libyan Provinces
Main article: Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya
ISIL divides Libya into three historical provinces, claiming authority over Cyrenaica in the east, Fezzan in the desert south, and Tripolitania in the west, around the capital.[175][176]
On 5 October 2014, the Shura Council of Islamic Youth and other militants in Libya were absorbed and designated the Cyrenaica Province of ISIL.[177][178] There are 800 fighters reported to be operating within Libya. The Libyan branch of ISIL has been the most active and successful out of all the ISIL branches outside of Iraq and Syria. They appear to be active mainly in the eastern urban centres of Derna and Benghazi. ISIL forces in Libya have also seized control of the city of Derna.[179] On 4 January 2015, ISIL forces in Libya seized control of the eastern countryside of Sabha, executing 14 Libyan soldiers in the process.[180][181]
Sinai Province
On 10 November 2014, many members of the group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis took an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL.[138] ISIL supporters from the group describe themselves as "Sinai Province" (Arabic: سيناء Wilayat Sinai).[182][183] A faction of the Sinai واليةgroup also operates in the Gaza Strip, which has renamed itself to the Islamic State in Gaza.[184]
When Ansar Bait al-Maqdis was dissolved, a large Sinai-based part of the group pledging allegiance to ISIL, assuming the designation Sinai Province of ISIL or Wilayat Sinai.[177][185] They are estimated to have 1,000–2,000[31] fighters.[186]
Algerian Province
Members of Jund al-Khilafah swore allegiance to ISIL in September 2014.[29] ISIL in Algeria gained notoriety when it beheaded French tourist Herve Gourdel in September 2014. Since then, the group has largely been silent, with reports that its leader Khalid Abu-Sulayman was killed by Algerian forces in December 2014.[187]
Khorasan Province
In November 2014, Jundallah,[188] Tehreek-e-Khilafat,[31] and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar [31] pledged allegiance to ISIL, giving the organization an active presence in Pakistan. However, on 12 March 2015, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar left ISIL and rejoined Tehrik-i-Taliban.[189]
On 29 January 2015, Hafiz Saeed Khan and Abdul Rauf swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL. Khan was named as the Wāli (Governor) of the Wilayat (Province)
and Rauf as his deputy. The province includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, and "other nearby lands".[190][191][192]
On 9 February 2015, Mullah Abdul Rauf was killed by a NATO airstrike.[193] On 18 March 2015, Hafiz Wahidi, ISIL's replacement deputy Emir in Afghanistan, was killed by the Afghan Armed Forces, along with 9 other ISIL militants who were accompanying him.[194]
On 13 March 2015, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to ISIL.[150]
Sanaa Province
On 13 November 2014, unidentified militants in Yemen pledged allegiance to ISIL,[29] who were designated as part of the Sanaa Province in Yemen, which was named after the Yemeni capital city of Sana'a.[195] By December 2014, it was revealed that ISIL already had an active presence inside of Yemen, with their recruitment drive bringing them into direct competition with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[139] By February 2015, the majority of the non-AQAP members of Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen had pledged allegiance to ISIL, boosting the groups's strength to hundreds of fighters.[146]
Other areas of operation
Boko Haram (West Africa) - pledged allegiance to ISIL.[13][148][149][196][197]
Unidentified militants in Saudi Arabia pledged allegiance to ISIL - designated as a province of ISIL.[29]
The Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade (Lebanon) pledged allegiance to ISIL.[31]
Sons of the Call for Tawhid and Jihad (Jordan) pledged allegiance to ISIL.[198]
Abu Sayyaf (Philippines)[199] - pledged allegiance to ISIL.[31]
Almost all of the commanders of the Caucasus Emirate in Chechnya and Dagestan have switched their allegiance to ISIL.[200]
Leadership and governance
Further information: List of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members
Mugshot of al-Baghdadi by U.S. armed forces while in detention at Camp Bucca in 2004
The group is headed and run by al-Baghdadi, with a cabinet of advisers. There are two deputy leaders, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (KIA) for Iraq and Abu Ali al-Anbari for Syria, and 12 local governors in Iraq and Syria. Beneath the leaders are councils on finance, leadership, military matters, legal matters—including decisions on executions—foreign fighters' assistance, security, intelligence and media. In addition, a Shura council has the task of ensuring that all decisions made by the governors and councils comply with the group's interpretation of sharia.[201] The majority of the ISIL's leadership is dominated by Iraqis, especially among former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.[202][203] It has been reported that Iraqis and Syrians have been given greater precedence over other nationalities within ISIL due to the fact that the group need the loyalties of the local Sunni populations in both Syria and Iraq in order to be sustainable.[204][205] Other reports have indicated however that Syrians are at a disadvantage to foreign members of ISIL, with some native Syrian fighters resenting alleged 'favoritism' towards foreigners over pay and accommodation.[206][207]
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi delivering a sermon in the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul (July 2014)
The Wall Street Journal estimated in September 2014 that eight million Iraqis and Syrians live in areas controlled by ISIL.[208] Ar-Raqqah in Syria is the de facto headquarters, and is said to be a test case of ISIL governance.[209] As of September 2014, governance in Ar-Raqqah has been under the total control of ISIL where it has rebuilt the structure of modern government in less than a year. Former government workers from the Assad government maintained their jobs after pledging allegiance to ISIL. Institutions, restored and restructured, provided their respective services. The Ar-Raqqah dam continues to provide electricity and water. Foreign expertise supplements Syrian officials in running civilian institutions. Only the police and soldiers are ISIL fighters, who receive confiscated lodging previously owned by non-Sunnis and others who fled. Welfare services are provided, price controls established, and taxes imposed on the wealthy. ISIL runs a soft power programme in the areas under its control in Iraq and Syria, which includes social services, religious lectures and da'wah—proselytising—to local populations. It also performs public services such as repairing roads and maintaining the electricity supply.[210]
British security expert Frank Gardner has concluded that ISIL's prospects of maintaining control and rule are greater in 2014 than they were in 2006. Despite being as brutal as before, ISIL has become "well entrenched" among the population and is not likely to be dislodged by ineffective Syrian or Iraqi forces. It has replaced corrupt governance with functioning locally controlled authorities, services have been restored and there are adequate supplies of water and oil. With Western-backed intervention being unlikely, the group will "continue to hold their ground" and rule an area "the size of Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future", he said.[172][211] Further solidifying ISIL rule is the control of wheat production, which is roughly 40% of Iraq's production. ISIL has maintained food production, crucial to governance and popular support.[212]
Non-combatants
Although the Isil attracts extremists from different parts of the world by promoting the image of holy war, not all of them end up in combatant roles. There have been several cases of new recruits who expected to be mujihadeen that returned from Syria disappointed by the everyday jobs that had been assigned to them, like drawing water or cleaning toilets, or by the ban imposed on use of mobile phones during military training sessions.[213]
ISIL also publishes material directed to women. Although women are not allowed to take up arms, media groups encourage them to play supportive roles within ISIL: providing first aid, cooking, nursing and sewing, to become "good wives of jihad".[214]