Wikipedia

History of the Islamic State

(Redirected from History of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)

The origins of the Islamic State group can be traced back to three main organizations. Earliest of these was the "Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād" (transl. "The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad") organization, founded by the Jihadist leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi in Jordan in 1999. The other two predecessor organizations emerged during the Iraqi insurgency against the U.S. occupation forces. These included the "Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah" (transl. "Army of the Victorious Sect") group founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004 and the "Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah" (transl. "Army of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah") group founded by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his associates in the same year.[1]

The group went through a number of name changes as it declared itself not just an organization but a state, and then declared itself as a worldwide caliphate. In 2004, it became Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn, commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), when al-Zarqawi gave bay'ah to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. The same year, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi established the "Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah" (JTM) and "Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah" (JASJ) groups which were allied to al-Qaeda during the early Iraqi insurgency. In January 2006, various Islamist insurgent groups (including AQI, JTM and JASJ) formed a coalition known as the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSM).

A few months after the death of al-Zarqawi in June 2006, MSM announced its dissolution and declared the establishment of an independent organization known as the "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI), under the leadership of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. ISI participated in the Iraqi insurgency between 2006 and 2011 that sought the end of US occupation of Iraq. In 2010, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was killed during a military raid by US forces near Tikrit, paving the way for the succession of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who became the second Emir of ISI.

In 2013, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his intention to forcibly merge Al-Nusra Front (which it claimed to have established and supported) with ISI and announced the formation of "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant". Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri denounced the merger proposal and demanded the abolishment of the new organization, publicly declaring that Al-Nusra Front was the branch of al-Qaeda in Syria. Zawahiri's mediation was rejected by al-Baghdadi, resulting in the eruption of armed conflict between ISIL and al-Qaeda and its allies. In 2014, ISIL proclaimed itself a worldwide caliphate and changed its name to the Islamic State which in a year grew to control territory with a population of millions. On 27 October 2019, al-Baghdadi killed himself to avoid capture during a U.S. raid in northwestern Syria.[2] The group had lost its territory and was back to insurgency mode, though it did not change its name again.[3]

Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād (1999–2004)

edit
Main article: Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
 
The UN headquarters building in Baghdad after the Canal Hotel bombing, on 22 August 2003

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was founded in 1999 by Jordanian Salafi jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi under the name Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād (transl. "The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad").[4] In February 2004, the Coalition officials released a document that they claimed to have captured from an Iraqi "operative", detailing plans to foment a "sectarian war" in Iraq with the help of al-Qaeda's central leadership. US officials accused Zarqawi of writing the letter, although the attribution of the letter remained unverified. While Zarqawi was speculated to have been operating in Iraq during that period, he hadn't pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden until October 2004.[5][6]

Colonel Derek Harvey told Reuters that "the U.S. military detained Badr assassination teams possessing target lists of Sunni officers and pilots in 2003 and 2004 but did not hold them. Harvey said his superiors told him that 'this stuff had to play itself out' – implying that revenge attacks by returning Shi'ite groups were to be expected."[7] Jerry Burke, an adviser to the Iraqi Interior Ministry, said that in 2005 a plan from him and several colleagues to surveil and stop suspected Badr Brigade death squads in the special police forces was rejected when it got to an American Flag (General) Officer.[8]

Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn (2004–2006)

edit
Main articles: Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Mujahideen Shura Council (Iraq)
Further information: Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah and Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah

In October 2004, when al-Zarqawi swore loyalty to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, he renamed the group Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn (transl. "The Organisation of Jihad's Base in Mesopotamia"), commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).[9][10][11][12][13] Although the group never called itself al-Qaeda in Iraq, this remained its informal name for many years.[14] Attacks by the group on civilians, Iraqi government 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 said, "[...] was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity".[15]

In January 2006, AQI joined with several smaller Iraqi Sunni insurgent groups like "Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah" and "Jaysh Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama’ah" under an umbrella organisation called the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC). According to analyst Brian Fishman, the merger was an attempt to give the group a more Iraqi flavour, and perhaps to distance al-Qaeda from some of al-Zarqawi's tactical errors, such as the 2005 bombings by AQI of three hotels in Amman.[16] 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.[17][18][19]

Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)

edit
Main article: Islamic State of Iraq
See also: Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)
 
U.S. Marines in Ramadi in May 2006. The Islamic State of Iraq had declared the city to be its capital

On 12 October 2006, MSC united with three smaller groups and six Sunni tribes to form the Mutayibeen Coalition, pledging "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".[20][21] A day later, MSC declared the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), comprising Iraq's six mostly Sunni Arab governorates,[22] with Abu Omar al-Baghdadi its emir[23][24] and al-Masri Minister of War within ISI's ten-member cabinet.[25]

According to a study compiled by United States intelligence agencies in early 2007, ISI planned to seize power in the central and western areas of Iraq and turn it into a Sunni caliphate.[26] The group built in strength and at its height enjoyed a significant presence in the Iraqi governorates of Al Anbar, Diyala and Baghdad, claiming Baqubah as a capital city.[27][28][29][30]

The Iraq War troop surge of 2007 supplied the U.S. military with more manpower for operations, and dozens of high-level ISI members being captured or killed.[31] Between July and October 2007, Islamic State of Iraq was reported to have lost its secure military bases in Al Anbar province and the Baghdad area.[32] During 2008, a series of US and Iraqi offensives expelled ISI-aligned insurgents from their former safe havens, such as the Diyala and Al Anbar governorates, to the area of the northern city of Mosul.[33]

 
U.S. Army soldier in Iraq with captured flag from the Islamic State of Iraq, December 2010

By 2008, the ISI was describing itself as being in a state of "extraordinary crisis".[34] Its violent attempts to govern territory led to a backlash from Sunni Arab Iraqis and other insurgent groups and a temporary decline in the group, which was attributable to a number of factors,[35] notably the Anbar Awakening.

In late 2009, the commander of US forces in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, stated that 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".[36] On 18 April 2010, ISI's two top leaders, al-Masri and Omar al-Baghdadi, were killed in a joint US-Iraqi raid near Tikrit.[37] In a press conference in June 2010, General Odierno reported that 80% of 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.[38][39][40]

 
The Al-Askari Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, after the first attack by Islamic State of Iraq in 2006

On 16 May 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed the new leader of ISI.[41][42] Al-Baghdadi replenished the group's leadership by appointing former Iraqi military and Intelligence Service officers who had served during Saddam Hussein's rule.[43][44] These men, nearly all of whom had spent time imprisoned by the U.S. military at Camp Bucca, came to make up about one third of Baghdadi's top 25 commanders, including Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, Ali Aswad al-Jiburi, and Abu Muslim al-Turkmani. One of them, a former colonel called Haji Bakr became the overall military commander in charge of overseeing the group's operations.[45][46] Al-Khlifawi was instrumental in doing the ground work that led to the growth of ISIL.[47][48]

In July 2012, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement online announcing that the group was returning to former strongholds from which US troops and the Sons of Iraq had driven them in 2007 and 2008.[49] He declared the start of a new offensive in Iraq called Breaking the Walls, aimed at freeing members of the group held in Iraqi prisons.[49] Violence in Iraq had begun to escalate in June 2012, primarily with ISI's car bomb attacks, and by July 2013, monthly fatalities exceeded 1,000 for the first time since April 2008.[50]

Syrian Civil War

edit
Main article: Syrian Civil War
Further information: Al-Nusra Front

In March 2011, protests began in Syria against the Ba'athist government of Bashar al-Assad. In the following months, violence between demonstrators and security forces led to a gradual militarisation of the conflict.[51] In August 2011, following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, al-Baghdadi began sending Syrian and Iraqi Jihadists experienced in guerilla warfare across the border into Syria to establish an organization there. On 23 January 2012, the group took up the name Jabhat an-Nuṣrah li-Ahli ash-Shām (or al-Nusra Front), operating as an autonomous entity within the transnational Al-Qaeda network and began to establish a large presence in Sunni-majority Raqqa, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor, and Aleppo provinces.[52][53] Led by a Syrian known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, this group began to recruit fighters and establish cells throughout the country, with popular support among Syrians opposed to the Assad government.[54]

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (2013–14)

edit
Main articles: Timeline of the Islamic State (2013) and (2014)
 
2012–2013 Iraqi protests: Iraqi Sunni demonstrators protesting against the sectarian policies Nouri al-Maliki's Shia government. The protests subsequently gave way to the Anbar revolt led by Iraqi Ba'athists. Taking advantage of the situation, ISIL militants captured Ramadi and then rapidly expanded during the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive

On 8 April 2013, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement in which he claimed that the al-Nusra Front had been established, financed, and supported by ISI,[55] and that the two groups were merging under the name Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIL, Al-Sham also translates as the Levant).[56] However, Abu Mohammad al-Julani and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leaders of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda respectively, rejected the merger. Al-Julani issued a statement denying the merger, and complaining that neither he nor anyone else in al-Nusra's leadership had been consulted about it.[57]

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.[58] That same month, al-Baghdadi released an audio message rejecting al-Zawahiri's ruling and declaring that the merger was going ahead.[59] Strong condemnation from Al-Nusra and AQ leaderships of the move to proceed with the merger, resulted in ISIL's formal split from the wider Jihadist movement, leading to a fierce conflict with the Al-Qaeda network.[60][61] ISIL significantly revamped the course of the Syrian civil war when it announced unilateral expansion into Syria in mid-2013 and began conducting ground attacks not only against the Ba'athist Syrian military forces, but also the Free Syrian militias.[62]

Meanwhile, the ISIL campaign to free its imprisoned members culminated in simultaneous raids on Taji and Abu Ghraib prisons in July 2013, freeing more than 500 prisoners, many of them veterans of the Iraqi insurgency.[50][63] In October 2013, al-Zawahiri ordered the disbanding of ISIL, putting al-Nusra Front in charge of jihadist efforts in Syria,[64] but al-Baghdadi rejected al-Zawahiri's order,[59] and his group continued to operate in Syria. In February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda publicly disavowed any relations with ISIL.[65]

According to journalist Sarah Birke, there are "significant differences" between 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.[66] Foreign fighters in Syria include Russian-speaking jihadists who were part of Lisa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (referred to as JMA).[citation needed] In November 2013, Abu Omar al-Shishani, leader of the JMA, swore an oath of allegiance to al-Baghdadi;[67] 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.[68]

In January 2014, rebels affiliated with the Islamic Front and the US-trained Free Syrian Army[69] launched an offensive against ISIL militants in and around the city of Aleppo, following months of tensions over ISIL's behavior, which included the seizure of property and weapons from rebel groups, and the arrests and killings of activists.[70][71] Months of clashes ensued, causing thousands of casualties, with ISIL withdrawing its forces from Idlib and Latakia provinces and redeploying them to reinforce its strongholds in Raqqa and Aleppo.[72] It also launched an offensive against all other opposition forces active in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, on the border with Iraq.[73][74] By June 2014, ISIL had largely defeated its rivals in the province, with many who had not been killed or driven away pledging allegiance to it.[75][76]

In Iraq, ISIL was able to capture most of Fallujah in January 2014,[77] and in June 2014 was able to seize control of Mosul.[78]

After an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda cut all ties with ISIL by February 2014, citing its failure to consult and "notorious intransigence".[79][65]

In early 2014, ISIL drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities in its Anbar campaign,[80] which was followed by the capture of Mosul[78] and the Sinjar massacre.[81] The loss of control almost caused a collapse of the Iraqi government and prompted a renewal of U.S. military action in Iraq. In Syria, ISIL has conducted ground attacks on both the Syrian Arab Army and rebel factions.

Islamic State (2014–present)

edit
Main article: Islamic State
Further information: Timeline of the Islamic State (2014), (2015), (2016), (2017), (2018), (2019), and (2020)
See also: War in Iraq (2013–2017), War against the Islamic State, American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war, American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021), Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Islamic State beheading incidents, Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014), and Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War

On 29 June 2014, ISIL proclaimed itself to be "the Islamic State", a worldwide caliphate.[82] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi – known by his supporters as Amir al-Mu'minin, Caliph Ibrahim – was named its caliph, and the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah ("Islamic State" (IS)).[83] As a "Caliphate", it claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide.[84] The concept of it being a caliphate and the name "Islamic State" have been rejected by governments and Muslim leaders worldwide.[85][86][87][88][89]

In June and July 2014, Jordan and Saudi Arabia moved at least 30,000 troops to their borders with Iraq, after the Iraqi government lost control of (or withdrew from) strategic crossing points that were captured by either ISIL or tribes that supported it.[90][91] 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".[92]

In July 2014, IS 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.[93] On 23 July 2014, Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and some masked men swore loyalty to al-Baghdadi in a video, giving IS a presence in the Philippines.[94][95] In September 2014, the group began kidnapping people for ransom.[96]

In 2016, according to the daily, La Stampa, officials from Europol conducted an investigation into the trafficking of fake documents for IS. They have identified fake Syrian passports in the refugee camps in Greece that were destined to supposed members of IS, in order to avoid Greek government controls and make their way to other parts of Europe.[97] Also, the chief of Europol said that a new task force of 200 counter terrorism officers will be deployed to the Greek islands alongside Greek border guards in order to help Greece thwart a "strategic" level campaign by Islamic State to infiltrate terrorists into Europe.[98]

In early May 2019, after almost five years since his last public appearance in the summer of 2014, al-Baghdadi appeared in a video declaring his organisation's new geographical ambitions. After the loss of the territories it once occupied in the Levant and the crumbling of the 'Caliphate' project, the leader of the group boasted in his speech of "new oaths of allegiance extended to him from jihadis in Mali, Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka" as well as in Turkey. According to Syrian-American journalist Hassan Hassan, in a comment in Foreign Policy magazine, "Baghdadi's video marks the failure of the U.S.-led coalition to capture Baghdadi and dismantle his organization. It demonstrates the health of both Baghdadi and his organization—refuting recent rumors that he was ailing—and allows them to boast about a major terrorist attack, their expansion to new places, and the recruitment of new members."[99]

Capture of territory

edit
Further information: Territory of the Islamic State
 
Yazidi refugees and American aid workers on Mount Sinjar in August 2014

On 3 August 2014, IS captured the cities of Zumar, Sinjar and Wana in northern Iraq.[81] Thousands of Yazidis fled up Mount Sinjar, fearful of the approaching hostile IS militants. The stranded Yazidis' need for food and water, the threat of genocide to them and to others announced by IS, along with the desire to protect US citizens in Iraq and support the Iraqi government in its fight against IS, were all reasons given for the 2014 American intervention in Iraq, which began on 7 August.[100] A US aerial bombing campaign began the following day.

At the end of October 2014, 800 militants gained partial 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".[101] On 10 November 2014, a major faction of the Egyptian militant group Ansar Bait al-Maqdis also pledged its allegiance to IS.[102] In mid-January 2015, a Yemeni official said that IS had "dozens" of members in Yemen, and that they were coming into direct competition with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula because of their recruitment drive.[103] The same month, Afghan officials confirmed that IS had a military presence in Afghanistan.[104] However, by February 2015, 65 of the militants were either captured or killed by the Taliban, and IS's top Afghan recruiter, Mullah Abdul Rauf, was killed in a U.S. drone strike.[105][106][107]

 
Coalition airstrike on an Islamic State position in Kobani, Syria, October 2014

In early February 2015, IS 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. By March, IS had captured additional territory, 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 IS, giving IS an official presence in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.[108][109][110] On 13 March 2015, a group of militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan swore allegiance to IS;[111] the group released another video on 31 July 2015 showing its spiritual leader also pledging allegiance.[112] In June 2015, the US Deputy Secretary of State announced that IS had lost more than 10,000 members in airstrikes over the preceding nine months.[113][114]

Loss of territory and declarations of victory by opponents

edit

Since 2015, IS has lost territory in Iraq and Syria, including Tikrit in March and April 2015,[115] Baiji in October,[116] Sinjar in November 2015,[117][118] Ramadi in December 2015,[119] Fallujah in June 2016[120] and Palmyra in March 2017.[121]

 
Liberation of Palmyra by the Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition in March 2016

Since the fall of IS in Mosul, the overall extent of IS held territory in both Syria and Iraq has significantly diminished.[122] On 17 October 2017, IS lost control of Raqqa in the second battle of Raqqa.[123] On 3 November, Deir ez-Zor, IS's last major city in Syria, was recaptured,[124] and Rawa, the last town held by IS in Iraq, was captured on 17 November.[125]

On 21 November 2017, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani declared victory over IS.[126] Qasem Soleimani, senior military officer of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, wrote to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei that IS had been defeated.[126] Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, declared victory over IS in Syria as well.[127] Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi also announced the military defeat of IS in Iraq.[128]

On 23 November 2018, Britain's Chief of the General Staff General Mark Carleton-Smith said that the "physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate."[129]

On 19 December 2018, US president Donald Trump declared IS to have been defeated.[130] The UK's junior Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said he "strongly" disagreed with Trump that IS had been defeated.[131] German foreign minister Heiko Maas said that "IS has been pushed back but the threat is not yet over. There is a danger that the consequences of Trump's Syria withdrawal will damage the fight against IS and jeopardise the successes already achieved."[131] The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces declared military victory over IS on 23 March 2019 following the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani, although the group maintains a scattered presence and sleeper cells across Syria and Iraq.[132]

Shift to insurgency

edit
Main articles: Eastern Syria insurgency and Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present)
See also: Syrian Desert campaign (December 2017–present)

Beginning primarily in 2017, as the Islamic State lost more swathes of territory and lost control over major settlements and cities, the group increasingly resorted to more terror bombings and insurgency operations, using its scattered underground networks of sleeper cells across regions in the Middle East and various offshoots and adherents. The collapse of its final Middle Eastern territories in 2019 after the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani propelled the group into full insurgency phase in the regions it once controlled, while retaining influence via propaganda efforts and in remote hideouts, such as in the Syrian Desert.[3][133]

In July 2019, United Nations analysts on the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee warned al-Baghdadi was plotting a comeback from Iraq.[134][135] He could launch international terrorist attacks before the end of the year in European nations.[136][137] By 7 October 2019, it was thought that IS could re-emerge with the withdrawal of American troops from the region.[138][139][140]

On 27 October 2019, al-Baghdadi was targeted by U.S. military and died after he detonated a suicide vest in Barisha, Idlib, Northwest Syria.[2][141] President Donald Trump confirmed in a televised announcement from the White House later that day that al-Baghdadi had died during a raid by US special forces in Idlib.[142][143]

In September 2019, a statement attributed to IS's propaganda arm, the Amaq News Agency, claimed that Abdul Nasser Qardash was named as al-Baghdadi's successor.[144][145] Analysts dismissed this statement as a fabrication, and relatives were reported as saying that Qardash died in 2017.[146] Rita Katz, a terrorism analyst and the co-founder of SITE Intelligence, noted that the alleged statement used a different font when compared to other statements and it was never distributed on Amaq or IS channels.[147]

On 29 October 2019, President Trump stated on social media that al-Baghdadi's "number one replacement" had been killed by American forces, adding: "Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!"[148] While President Trump did not specify a name, a U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to IS spokesman and senior leader Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir,[149] who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria two days earlier.[150] Less than a week after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on 31 October, IS named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi as Baghdadi's successor,[151] indicating that the group still considers itself a caliphate despite having lost all of its territory in Iraq and Syria.[152] Two other individuals close to Baghdadi and believed to have been present in his last video appearance,[153] the Saudi Abu Saleh al-Juzrawi and the Tunisian Abu Othman al-Tunsi, were also named as possible candidates to succeed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[146][154] In April 2021 Russian forces killed dozens of Islamic State militants in a series of air strikes following the Islamic State's killing of two Russian pilots.[155]

In January 2022, IS was described as resurging, being able to mount "coordinated and sophisticated attacks" from "sleeper cells in remote mountain and desert areas".[156] During the 10-day-long Battle of al-Hasakah, they won a "partial strategic victory and major propaganda victory" with "hundreds of prisoners, including important Emirs, being freed" from the makeshift prison in the city of Hasaka.[157][158][159][160][161] In the fighting 346 IS fighters were killed, and the anti-IS Syrian Democratic Forces arrested 1,100 prisoners, but a total of 400 prisoners were found to be missing.[162][163] IS also killed 10 soldiers and an officer storming an army outpost in Diyala Province, attacking the base from three sides late at night.[156]

On 3 February 2022, al-Qurashi killed himself, and members of his family, by triggering a large bomb during a raid by the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command.[164] He was succeeded by Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, who held this position until being killed in Syria on 15 October 2022. His successor, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, was the first Syrian to serve as a caliph, and was killed in Syria on 29 April 2023. His successor and current caliph is Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Qurashi.

As of June 2023, the U.S. Department of State found "worrisome signs" that IS's "core leadership is strengthening control over its global network of affiliates," and that its affiliates are "pooling resources" and "growing capabilities", despite a "series of key losses".[165]

Terrorist attacks outside Iraq and Syria

edit

IS has claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile terrorist attacks outside Iraq and Syria, including a mass shooting at a Tunisian tourist resort (38 European tourists killed),[166] the Suruç bombing in Turkey (33 leftist and pro-Kurdish activists killed), the Tunisian National Museum attack (24 foreign tourists and Tunisians killed), the Sana'a mosque bombings (142 Shia civilians killed), the crash of Metrojet Flight 9268 (224 killed, mostly Russian tourists), the bombings in Ankara (102 pro-Kurdish and leftist activists killed), the bombings in Beirut (43 Shia civilians killed), the November 2015 Paris attacks (130 civilians killed), the killing of Jaafar Mohammed Saad, the governor of Aden, the January 2016 Istanbul bombing (11 foreign tourists killed), the 2016 Brussels bombings (32 civilians killed), the 2016 Atatürk Airport attack (48 foreign and Turkish civilians killed), the 2016 Nice truck attack (86 civilians killed), the July 2016 Kabul bombing (at least 80 civilians killed, mostly Shia Hazaras), the 2016 Berlin truck attack (12 civilians killed), the 2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting (39 foreigners and Turks killed), the 2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing (15 civilians killed), the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing (22 civilians killed), the 2017 Barcelona attacks (16 civilians killed), the 2017 Tehran attacks (18 civilians killed),[167][168][169][170] the 2018 Pakistan bombings (154 killed),[171] the 2021 Kabul airport attack (183 killed, including the perpetrator),[172] and the 2024 Crocus City Hall attack (130+ killed).[173][174]

The Saudi Arabian government reports that in one relatively short period—the first eight months of 2016—there were 25 attacks in the kingdom by IS.[175]

Mass graves

edit
See also: Yazidi genocide and Iraqi Turkmen genocide

On 30 August 2016, a survey conducted by the Associated Press found that around 72 mass graves have been discovered in areas that have been liberated from IS control. In total, these mass graves contain the bodies of approximately 15,000 people killed by IS. The report stated that the mass graves were evidence of genocides conducted by IS in the region, including the genocide of Yazidis. Seventeen graves were discovered in Syria, with the rest being found in Iraq. At least 16 of the graves in Iraq contained remains that were not counted, as they are located in dangerous conflict zones. Instead, the number of dead in these graves has been estimated.[176]

On 6 November 2018, a United Nations report revealed over 200 mass graves of thousands of IS's victims were discovered. The grave sites, which may contain up to 12,000 bodies, were found in the northern and western Iraqi provinces of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Anbar.[177]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (June 2014). The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement (PDF). Research Notes (Report). Vol. 20. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  2. ^ a b "US targeted ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US officials". Al Jazeera. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b "ISIS far from defeated in Syria: 2019 outlook (maps)". Al-Masdar News. 1 January 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  4. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (June 2014). The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement (PDF). Research Notes (Report). Vol. 20. Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  5. ^ Filkins, Dexter (9 February 2004). "THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: INTELLIGENCE; U.S. Says Files Seek Qaeda Aid In Iraq Conflict". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  6. ^ "Zarqawi Letter" State Dept. archives
  7. ^ Ned Parker, "Torture by Iraqi militias: The report Washington did not want you to see" Reuters, 14 December 2015
  8. ^ Joel Wing, "Part two of an interview with Jerry Burke Musings on Iraq, 13 February 2012
  9. ^ Pool, Jeffrey (16 December 2004). "Zarqawi's Pledge of Allegiance to Al-Qaeda: From Mu'Asker Al-Battar, Issue 21". Terrorism Monitor. Vol. 2, no. 24. Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  10. ^ "Zarqawi pledges allegiance to Osama". Dawn. AFP. 18 October 2004. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  11. ^ "Al-Zarqawi group vows allegiance to bin Laden". NBC News. Associated Press. 18 October 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  12. ^ Uppsala Data Conflict Programme: Conflict Encyclopaedia (Iraq). Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. (See One-sided violence – ISIS-civilians – Actor information-ISIS.) Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  13. ^ Whitlock, Craig (10 June 2006). "Death Could Shake Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Around the World". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  14. ^ Knights, Michael (May 2014). "The ISIL's Stand in the Ramadi-Falluja Corridor". CTC Sentinel. 7 (5). Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Archived from the original on 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  15. ^ Whitaker, Brian (13 October 2005). "Revealed: Al-Qaida plan to seize control of Iraq". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  16. ^ Fishman 2008, pp. 48–9.
  17. ^ "Al-Qaeda in Iraq names new head". BBC News. 12 June 2006.
  18. ^ Tran, Mark (1 May 2007). "Al-Qaida in Iraq leader believed dead". The Guardian.
  19. ^ Fishman 2008, pp. 49–50
  20. ^ Roggio, Bill (12 October 2006). "al Qaeda's Grand Coalition in Anbar". Long War Journal. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Jihad Groups in Iraq Take an Oath of Allegiance". MEMRI. Middle East Media Research Institute. 17 October 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  22. ^ Negus, Stephen (15 October 2006). "Call for Sunni state in Iraq". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  23. ^ Roggio, Bill (16 October 2006). "The Rump Islamic Emirate of Iraq". Long War Journal. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  24. ^ "Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI)". Dudley Knox Library. Naval Postgraduate School. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Islamic State of Iraq Announces Establishment of the Cabinet of its First Islamic Administration in Video Issued Through al-Furqan Foundation". SITE Institute. 19 April 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  26. ^ Mahnaimi, Uzi (13 May 2007). "Al-Qaeda planning militant Islamic state within Iraq". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011.
  27. ^ Ricks, Thomas E. (11 September 2006). "Situation Called Dire in West Iraq". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  28. ^ Linzer, Dafna; Ricks, Thomas E. (28 November 2006). "Anbar Picture Grows Clearer, and Bleaker". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  29. ^ Engel, Richard (27 December 2006). "Reporting under al-Qaida control". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  30. ^ Engel, Richard (17 January 2007). "Dangers of the Baghdad plan". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
  31. ^ Roggio, Bill (13 November 2007). "Targeting al Qaeda in Iraq's Network". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007.
  32. ^ Ricks, Thomas; DeYoung, Karen (15 October 2007). "Al-Qaeda in Iraq Reported Crippled". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  33. ^ Samuels, Lennox (20 May 2008). "Al Qaeda in Iraq Ramps Up Its Racketeering". Newsweek. Retrieved 13 February 2015.(subscription required) Accessible via Google.
  34. ^ Phillips, Andrew (2009). "How al Qaeda lost Iraq". Australian Journal of International Affairs. 63 (1): 64–84. doi:10.1080/10357710802649840. S2CID 154741281.
  35. ^ Kahl, Colin H . (2008). "When to Leave Iraq: Walk Before Running". Foreign Affairs. Vol. 87, no. 4. pp. 151–54. JSTOR 20032727.
  36. ^ Christie, Michael (18 November 2009). "Al Qaeda in Iraq becoming less foreign-US general". Reuters.
  37. ^ Arango, Tim (22 August 2014). "Top Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Reported Killed in Raid". The New York Times.
  38. ^ Shanker, Thom (4 June 2010). "Qaeda Leaders in Iraq Neutralized, US Says". The New York Times.
  39. ^ "US says 80% of al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq removed". BBC News. 4 June 2010.
  40. ^ "Attacks in Iraq down, Al-Qaeda arrests up: US general". Agence France-Presse. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014 – via Google News.
  41. ^ Shadid, Anthony (16 May 2010). "Iraqi Insurgent Group Names New Leaders". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  42. ^ "Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Islamic State's driving force". BBC World News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  43. ^ Sly, Liz (5 April 2015). "How Saddam Hussein's former military officers and spies are controlling Isis". Independent. London. Retrieved 21 April 2015. But American officials didn't anticipate that they would become not only adjuncts to al-Qaeda, but core members of the jihadist group. They were instrumental in the group's rebirth from the defeats inflicted on insurgents by the U.S. military, which is now back in Iraq bombing many of the same men it had already fought twice before.
  44. ^ Sly, Liz (4 April 2015). "The hidden hand behind the Islamic State militants? Saddam Hussein's". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  45. ^ Hubbard, Ben; Schmitt, Eric (27 August 2014). "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  46. ^ Arango, Tim; Schmidtt, Eric (10 August 2014). "U.S. Actions in Iraq Fueled Rise of a Rebel". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  47. ^ "Former Saddam Hussein spy masterminded the rise of Isis, says report". The Guardian. United Kingdom. Reuters. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  48. ^ Reuter, Christoph (18 April 2015). "The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State". Der Spiegel.
  49. ^ a b Youssef, Maamoun (22 July 2012). "Al-Qaida: We're returning to old Iraq strongholds". Associated Press. Retrieved 22 August 2014 – via Yahoo! News.
  50. ^ a b Lewis, Jessica D. (September 2013). Al Qaeda in Iraq Resurgent (PDF) (Report). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  51. ^ Abouzeid, Rania (14 March 2014). "Syria: The story of the conflict". BBC News. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  52. ^ Benotman, Noman; Blake, Roisin (8 January 2013). Jabhat al-Nusra: A Strategic Briefing (PDF) (Report). Quilliam Foundation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  53. ^ "Islamist group claims Syria bombs 'to avenge Sunnis'". Al Arabiya. 21 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  54. ^ Abouzeid, Rania (23 June 2014). "The Jihad Next Door". Politico. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  55. ^ "Qaeda in Iraq confirms Syria's Nusra is part of network". GlobalPost. Agence France-Presse. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  56. ^ "ISI Confirms That Jabhat Al-Nusra Is Its Extension in Syria, Declares 'Islamic State of Iraq And Al-Sham' As New Name of Merged Group". MEMRI. Middle East Media Research Institute. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  57. ^ "Al-Nusra Commits to al-Qaida, Deny Iraq Branch 'Merger'". Naharnet. Agence France-Presse. 10 April 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  58. ^ Atassi, Basma (9 June 2013). "Qaeda chief annuls Syrian-Iraqi jihad merger". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  59. ^ a b Atassi, Basma (15 June 2013). "Iraqi al-Qaeda chief rejects Zawahiri orders". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  60. ^ "Al-Qaeda in Iraq confirms Syria's Nusra Front is part of its network". Al Arabiya. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022.
  61. ^ Abouzeid, Rania (23 June 2014). "The Jihad Next Door: The Syrian roots of Iraq's newest civil war". Politico. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023.
  62. ^ C. Tucker, Spencer; G. Pierpaoli Jr., Paul (2016). "Syria". U.S Conflicts in The 21st Centiry (Volume 1). Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911, USA: ABC-CLIO. p. 834. ISBN 978-1-4408-3878-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  63. ^ "Al Qaeda says it freed 500 inmates in Iraq jail-break". Reuters. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  64. ^ "Zawahiri disbands main Qaeda faction in Syria". The Daily Star. Beirut, Lebanon. 8 November 2013. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  65. ^ a b Sly, Liz (3 February 2014). "Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  66. ^ Birke, Sarah (27 December 2013). "How al-Qaeda Changed the Syrian War". New York Review of Books.
  67. ^ Joscelyn, Thomas (27 November 2013). "Chechen-led group swears allegiance to head of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham". Long War Journal. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  68. ^ "Syria crisis: Omar Shishani, Chechen jihadist leader". BBC News. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  69. ^ Cloud, David S.; Abdulrahim, Raja (21 June 2013). "U.S. training Syrian rebels; White House 'stepped up assistance'". Los Angeles Times.
  70. ^ Saad, Hwaida; Gladstone, Rick (4 January 2014). "Qaeda-Linked Insurgents Clash With Other Rebels in Syria, as Schism Grows". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  71. ^ Casey-Baker, Mary; Haber, Joshua (7 January 2014). "Rebel factions continue fight against ISIL in Northern Syria". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  72. ^ "ISIL fighters pull out of key Syrian Turkmen town". World Bulletin. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  73. ^ "Syria Qaeda loses ground to jihadist rivals on Iraq border". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  74. ^ "ISIS reportedly kills Al Nusrah Front's commander for Idlib province". The Long War Journal. 16 April 2014.
  75. ^ "Al-Qaida offshoot in fierce offensive, carves out territory across Syria and Iraq". Reuters. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  76. ^ "Al Nusra pledges allegiance to Isil". Gulf News. Agence France-Presse. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  77. ^ "Iraq government loses control of Fallujah". Al Jazeera. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  78. ^ a b Al-Salhy, Suadad; Arango, Tim (10 June 2014). "Sunni Militants Drive Iraqi Army Out of Mosul". The New York Times.
  79. ^ Holmes, Oliver (3 February 2014). "Al Qaeda breaks link with Syrian militant group ISIL". Reuters.
  80. ^ "John Kerry holds talks in Iraq as more cities fall to ISIS militants". CNN. 23 June 2014.
  81. ^ a b Arango, Tim (3 August 2014). "Sunni Extremists in Iraq Seize 3 Towns From Kurds and Threaten Major Dam". The New York Times.
  82. ^ Lawrence, Jessica. "Iraq crisis: Could an ISIS caliphate ever govern the entire Muslim world?". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 22 November 2014.
  83. ^ Withnall, Adam (29 June 2014). "Iraq crisis: Isis changes name and declares its territories a new Islamic state with 'restoration of caliphate' in Middle East". The Independent. London.
  84. ^ "What does ISIS' declaration of a caliphate mean?". Al Akhbar English. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2014. See also: Kadi, Wadad; Shahin, Aram A. (2013). "Caliph, caliphate". In Bowering (ed.). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought.
  85. ^ Moore, Jack (2 July 2014). "Iraq Crisis: Senior Jordan Jihadist Slams Isis Caliphate". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  86. ^ "United Nations Official Document". United Nations. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  87. ^ Pugliese, David. "Details about the Canadian government's motion about going to war against ISIL". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  88. ^ "Australia says ready to strike ISIL in Iraq". Al Jazeera. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  89. ^ "Statement by the President on ISIL". whitehouse.gov. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014 – via National Archives.
  90. ^ Arango, Tim; Gordon, Michael R. (23 June 2014). "Iraqi Insurgents Secure Control of Border Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  91. ^ Spencer, Richard (3 July 2014). "Saudi Arabia sends 30,000 troops to Iraq border". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  92. ^ Solomon, Erika; Kerr, Simeon (3 July 2014). "Saudi Arabia sends 30,000 troops to Iraq border". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  93. ^ "Syrians adjust to life under ISIS rule". The Daily Star. Beirut, Lebanon. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 August 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  94. ^ Zavadski, Katie (23 November 2014). "ISIS Now Has a Network of Military Affiliates in 11 Countries Around the World". New York. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  95. ^ Ressa, Maria A. (4 August 2014). "Senior Abu Sayyaf leader swears oath to ISIS". Rappler. Pasig, Philippines.
  96. ^ Oltermann, Philip (24 September 2014). "Islamists in Philippines threaten to kill German hostages". The Guardian.
  97. ^ McKenna, Josephine (21 August 2016). "Fake passports for Isil terrorists 'found in Greek refugee camps'". The Daily Telegraph.
  98. ^ Staff, Our Foreign (26 August 2016). "200 counter terrorism officers to hunt Isil in Greek islands". The Daily Telegraph.
  99. ^ Hassan, Hassan (3 May 2019). "Welcome to the Post-Middle East ISIS". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
  100. ^ "Statement by the President". whitehouse.gov. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014 – via National Archives.
  101. ^ Michael, Maggie (9 November 2014). "Libyan city declares itself part of Islamic State caliphate". CP24. Associated Press.
  102. ^ Karim, Ammar; al-Atrush, Samer (10 November 2014). "Egypt jihadists vow loyalty to IS as Iraq probes leader's fate". Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse.
  103. ^ Todd, Brian (22 January 2015). "ISIS gaining ground in Yemen, competing with al Qaeda". CNN.
  104. ^ "Officials confirm ISIL present in Afghanistan". Al Jazeera. 18 January 2015.
  105. ^ Sterman, David; Shah, Neeli (6 February 2015). "ISIS Reportedly Kills Afghan Taliban Commander; Modi to Visit China; Pakistan Tests Cruise Missile". Foreign Policy.
  106. ^ "ISIS active in south Afghanistan, officials confirm for first time". CBS News. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  107. ^ "Afghanistan drone strike 'kills IS commander Abdul Rauf'". BBC News. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  108. ^ Elbagir, Nima; Cruickshank, Paul; Tawfeeq, Mohammed (7 March 2015). "Boko Haram purportedly pledges allegiance to ISIS". CNN.
  109. ^ "Boko Haram swears formal allegiance to ISIS". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  110. ^ "Jonathan tasks Defence, Foreign Ministers of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Benin on Boko Haram's defeat". sunnewsonline.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015.
  111. ^ Adeel, Mirwais. "Uzbek militants in Afghanistan pledge allegiance to ISIS in beheading video". Khaama Press. Kabul.
  112. ^ Lemon, Edward (1 August 2015). "IMU Pledges Allegiance to Islamic State". EurasiaNet. The Open Society Institute.
  113. ^ "More than 10,000 jihadists killed since coalition raids: US". Yahoo! News Singapore. 3 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  114. ^ Smith-Spark, Laura; Martel, Noisette (3 June 2015). "U.S. official: 10,000 ISIS fighters killed in 9 months". CNN.
  115. ^ Alkhshali, Hamdi; Karadsheh, Jomana (31 March 2015). "Iraq: Parts of Tikrit taken back from ISIS". CNN. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  116. ^ "US praises role of Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Baiji operation". The Long War Journal. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  117. ^ Arango, Tim (13 November 2015). "Sinjar Victory Bolsters Kurds, but Could Further Alienate U.S. From Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  118. ^ Gordon, Michael; Callimachi, Rukmini (12 November 2015). "Kurds Retake Strategic Highway in Iraq's North From ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
  119. ^ "Iraq Claims a Key Victory Over ISIS in Ramadi, Seizes Government Complex". NBC News. 29 December 2015.
  120. ^ "Iraqi commander: Fallujah 'fully liberated' from ISIS". Fox News Channel. 26 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  121. ^ Chulov, Martin (2 March 2017). "Syrian regime recaptures Palmyra from Islamic State". The Guardian.
  122. ^ "Russia's Syria Mirage". Institute for Study of War. By Matti Suomenaro, et al. 13 August 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  123. ^ "Raqqa: IS 'capital' falls to US-backed Syrian forces". BBC News. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  124. ^ "ISIS ousted from last major city in Syria, state media reports". CNN. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  125. ^ "IRAQI FORCES RETAKE THE COUNTRY'S LAST IS-HELD TOWN". AP News. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  126. ^ a b Iran's president declares end of Islamic State, Reuters, Babak Dehghanpisheh, 21 November 2017
  127. ^ Mann, Sebastian (21 November 2017). "IPutin claims victory over Isis in Syria during surprise visit from Assad". The Times. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  128. ^ Coker, Margaret; Falih Hassan (9 December 2017). "Iraq Prime Minister Declares Victory Over ISIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  129. ^ "Russia poses bigger threat to UK than terror groups: Army chief". ChannelNewsAsia. 24 November 2018. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  130. ^ "Allies React With Alarm to Trump Pull-out Tweet, Kurds Fear Turkish Attack". VOA. 19 December 2018.
  131. ^ a b "US allies in Syria say IS group not yet defeated". France 24. 20 December 2018.
  132. ^ "ISIL defeated in final Syria victory: SDF". Al Jazeera. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  133. ^ "US-Led Allies Finishing Off 'Caliphate'". VOA News. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  134. ^ Seldin, Jeff (29 July 2019). Besheer, Margaret (ed.). "UN Warns Islamic State Leader Plotting Comeback from Iraq". VOA. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  135. ^ Djani, Dian Triansyah; Fitton-Brown, Edmund (15 January 2019). "S/2019/50 – Twenty-third report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team submitted pursuant to resolution 2368 (2017) concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities". UN. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  136. ^ Cumming-Bruce, Nick (3 August 2019). "ISIS, Eyeing Europe, Could Launch Attacks This Year, U.N. Warns". The New York Times. p. 11. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  137. ^ Burke, Jason (3 August 2019). "New wave of terrorist attacks possible before end of year, UN says". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  138. ^ Mrou, Bassem; Fraser, Suzan (7 October 2019). "US troops start pullout from along Turkey's border in Syria". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  139. ^ DeYoung, Karen; Ryan, Missy; Fahim, Kareem; Dadouch, Sarah (7 October 2019). "Republicans assail Trump's decision to pull troops from northern Syria as Turkey readies offensive". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  140. ^ Gardner, Frank (10 October 2019). "Turkey Syria offensive: Will Islamic State re-emerge?". BBC News. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  141. ^ Browne, Ryan; Mattingly, Phil (27 October 2019). Zeleny, Jeff; Liptak, Kevin; Diamond, Jeremy (eds.). "ISIS leader al-Baghdadi believed to have been killed in a US military raid, sources say". CNN. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  142. ^ Lubold, Gordon; Abdulrahim, Raja (27 October 2019). "Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  143. ^ "Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, says Donald Trump - latest updates". The Guardian. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  144. ^ "Al-Baghdadi nominates Iraqi Abdullah Qardash as his successor to lead Daesh". The Middle East Monitor. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
  145. ^ Siegel, Jordan (22 August 2019). "Ailing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi puts 'Professor' Abdullah Qardash in charge of Isis". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  146. ^ a b "With Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gone, what next for ISIL?". Al Jazeera. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  147. ^ @Rita_Katz (17 September 2019). "2)Notice key differences between the..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  148. ^ "Trump says al-Baghdadi's 'number one replacement' is dead". Al Jazeera. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  149. ^ "Trump says likely Baghdadi successor killed by U.S. troops". Reuters. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  150. ^ "ISIS spokesman Al-Muhajir killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria". BNO News. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  151. ^ "Islamic State names its new leader". BBC News. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  152. ^ Sanchez, Raf (31 October 2019). "Islamic State announces new leader after death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  153. ^ Sly, Liz (27 October 2019). "Baghdadi's death a turning point for Islamic State". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  154. ^ "With Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gone, who is heir to the 'caliph'?". The Economic Times. Agence France-Presse. 28 October 2019. Archived from the original on 13 November 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  155. ^ Malsin, Jared. "Russia Strikes Islamic State Strongholds in Syria as Insurgency Gains Ground". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  156. ^ a b Arraf, Jane; Hubbard, Ben (25 January 2022). "As Islamic State Resurges, U.S. Is Drawn Back Into the Fray". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  157. ^ "Amid new riot by ISIS prisoners: International Coalition jets fly over 'Ghuwayran' prison". 20 January 2022.
  158. ^ "Recent development: SDF military forces open fire on Ghuwayran prison's gate, attempting to put an end to ISIS prisoners' riot". 21 January 2022.
  159. ^ "North Press correspondent wounded in ISIS riot in Syria's Hasakah". January 21, 2022.
  160. ^ "US calls for improved security in Syrian prisons after IS mutiny". January 23, 2022. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  161. ^ "Around 45,000 civilians have been displaced since fighting broke out in the northeastern city on Thursday, with many trapped in their homes". January 24, 2022.
  162. ^ "Islamic State militants still holed up in Syrian prison, Kurdish-led forces admit". The Washington Post. 27 January 2022.
  163. ^ "400 ISIS Fighters Missing After Syrian Prison Jailbreak". 7 February 2022.
  164. ^ "Statement by President Joe Biden". The White House. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  165. ^ Seldin, Jeff (8 June 2023). "US Sees Islamic State Affiliates Pooling Resources, Growing Capabilities". Voice of America. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  166. ^ Amara, Tarek (26 June 2015). "Gunman kills 39 at Tunisian beachside hotel, Islamic State claims attack". Reuters.
  167. ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (14 November 2015). "Paris attacks: Islamic State claims responsibility as French President Francois Hollande promises "merciless" revenge". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  168. ^ "Yemen conflict: Governor of Aden killed in Islamic State attack". BBC News. 6 December 2015.
  169. ^ "Islamic State claims attacks at Brussels airport and metro station". The Guardian. 22 March 2016.
  170. ^ Burgen, Stephen (27 August 2017). "Spanish attacks death toll rises to 16 after woman dies in hospital". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  171. ^ "Over 128 slain, more than 200 maimed: Massacre in Mastung, blast in Bannu". The News. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  172. ^ Hashemi, Sayed Ziarmal; Baldor, Lolita C.; Gannon, Kathy; Knickmeyer, Ellen (27 August 2021). "US forces keep up Kabul airlift under threat of more attacks". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
  173. ^ Strobel, Ann M. Simmons, Thomas Grove, Vivian Salama and Warren P. "U.S. Warned Russia Before Moscow Attack That Killed at Least 40". WSJ. Retrieved 2024-03-23.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  174. ^ Bennetts, Marc (22 March 2024). "Moscow terror attack: 62 people killed and concert hall on fire". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  175. ^ Shane, Scott (25 August 2016). "Saudis and Extremism: 'Both the Arsonists and the Firefighters'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  176. ^ "Forces in Iraq and Syria discovers 72 mass graves in areas freed from ISIS". Iraqi News. 30 August 2016.
  177. ^ "200 mass graves of thousands of ISIS victims found". CNN. 6 November 2018.

Further reading

edit
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_the_Islamic_State&oldid=1256465391"