The
emergence of IS
The
ISIS is stated to have been formed by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi in 1999. During the
2003 Iraq War, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups.
The
Islamic State, as it is known today, seems to be an outcome of the vacuum
created by the US invasion of Iraq — first for a regime change and later in
search of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). But IS roots can be traced
back much deeper into history.
Like
al-Qaeda and many other jihadist groups, ISIS is believed to have emerged from
the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s first Islamist group dating
back to the late 1920s in Egypt.
IS
follows an extreme interpretation of religion, promotes violence and regards
those who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates. IS
aims to establish a Salafist-orientated Islamist state in Iraq, Syria, and
other parts of the Levant.
The
Islamic State (IS), formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), is a Sunni jihadist group in the
Middle East.
It
claims to have religious authority over Muslims across the world and aspires to
bring most of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its control
beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territories in the Levant region,
including Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus and part of southern
Turkey.
It
has been designated as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States,
the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, and has been
described by the United Nations as a terrorist group. The United Nations and
Amnesty International have accused the group of grave human rights abuses.
Successor
to Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn—later commonly known as al-Qaeda
in Iraq (AQI), the ISIS was formed by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi in 1999.
During
the 2003 Iraq War, it joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the
Mujahideen Shura Council and consolidated further into the Islamic State of
Iraq. At its height, it enjoyed a significant presence in the Iraqi
governorates of Al Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk, most of Salah ad Din, parts of
Babil, Diyala and Baghdad, and claimed Baqubahas a capital city.
The
violent attempts by the Islamic State of Iraq to govern its territory led to a
backlash from Sunni Iraqis and other insurgent groups circa 2008, which helped
to propel the Awakening Movement and a temporary decline in the group.
ISIS
grew significantly under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gaining support
in Iraq as a result of alleged economic and political discrimination against
Iraqi Sunnis. Then, after entering the Syrian Civil War, it established a large
presence in the Syrian governorates of Ar-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and
Aleppo.
In
June 2014, it had at least 4,000 fighters in its ranks in Iraq. It has claimed
responsibility for attacks on government and military targets and for attacks
that killed thousands of civilians.
In
August 2014, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the number of
fighters in the group had increased to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq.
ISIS
had close links to al-Qaeda until February 2014 when, after an eight-month
power struggle, al-Qaeda cut all ties with the group, reportedly for its
brutality.
The
original aim of ISIS was to establish a caliphate in the Sunni-majority regions
of Iraq, and following its involvement in the Syrian Civil War, this expanded
to include controlling Sunni-majority areas of Syria.
A
caliphate was proclaimed on June 29, 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi — now known as
Amir al-Mu’minin Caliph Ibrahim — was named as its caliph and the group was
renamed the Islamic State.
Some
Sunni commentators, such as Adnan al-Aroor and Abu Basir al-Tartusi, say that
ISIS and related terrorist groups are not Sunnis, but modern-day Kharijites —
Muslims who have stepped outside the mainstream of Islam, serving an imperial
anti-Islamic agenda.
By
declaring a caliphate, al-Baghdadi demanded the allegiance of all Muslims
according to Islamic jurisprudence — fiqah.
Following
the 2013 expansion of the group into Syria and the announcement of the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant, the number of wilayah — provinces — which it
claimed increased to 16. In addition to the seven Iraqi wilayah, the Syrian
divisions, largely lying along existing provincial boundaries, are Al Barakah,
Al Kheir, Ar-Raqqah, Al Badiya, Halab, Idlib, Hama, Damascus and the Coast.
In
mid-2014, ISIS created a new province incorporating both Syrian territory
around Albu Kamal and Iraqi territory around Qaim. This new wilayah was
designated al-Furat. In Syria, ISIS seat of power is in Ar-Raqqah Governorate.
ISIS leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, are known to have visited its
provincial capital, Ar-Raqqah.
Analysts
have underlined the deliberate inflammation of sectarian conflict between Iraqi
Shias and Sunnis during the Iraq War by various Sunni and Shia players as the
root cause of ISIS rise. The post-invasion policies of the international
coalition forces have also been cited as a factor, citing the coalition forces
during the Iraq War for enshrining identity politics as the key marker of Iraqi
politics. By 2014, ISIS was increasingly being viewed as a militia rather than
a terrorist group.
ISIS
has been able to strengthen its military capability by capturing large
quantities and varieties of weaponry during the Syrian Civil War and Post-US
Iraq insurgency. These weapons seizures have improved the group’s capacity to
carry out successful subsequent operations and obtain more equipment.
In
mid-2014, Iraqi intelligence extracted information from an ISIS operative which
revealed that the organisation had assets worth US$2 billion, making it the
richest jihadist group in the world. About three quarters of this sum is said
to be represented by assets seized after the group captured Mosul in June 2014;
this includes possibly up to US$429 million looted from Mosul’s central bank.
The
group is widely reported as receiving funding from private donors in the Gulf
states, and both Iran and Iraq have accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of funding ISIS.
