ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant)
Name	ISIS
Native name	الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام
Founded	2006 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq); 2013–2014 (rebranding)
Founder	Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (origins); Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (rebrand)
Active	2006–present (decline since 2017)
Area	Iraq; Syria; provinces in Libya, Afghanistan, Sinai, West Africa, Yemen, Philippines
Ideology	Salafi jihadism; takfirism; restoration of caliphate
Status	Transnational insurgent and hybrid proto-state

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is a transnational Salafi-jihadist militant group that established a self-declared caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria during 2014–2019, attracting global attention for its territorial governance, brutal violence, and international terrorist campaigns. Originating from earlier insurgent organizations in Iraq and linked to networks active during the Iraq War (2003–2011), it drew foreign recruits from across Europe, North America, Central Asia, and North Africa and inspired or directed attacks in multiple countries. Designated a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council, the United States Department of State, the European Union, and numerous national governments, it has been the target of international military, legal, and intelligence efforts.

Overview

ISIS evolved from insurgent roots linked to the post-2003 insurgency in Iraq War (2003–2011) and the Syrian civil conflict following the Syrian Civil War. Under leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, it claimed a caliphate in 2014, administering urban centers including Mosul, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor. The group combined guerrilla warfare, conventional operations, propaganda via al-Furqan Foundation-style media with outlets like Dabiq (magazine) and Rumiyah (magazine), and an online recruitment ecosystem involving platforms and networks used by thousands of foreign fighters from countries such as France, Germany, United Kingdom, Russia, Turkey, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia.

History and Origins

Roots trace to al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), formed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi during the Iraq insurgency (2003–2011). After Zarqawi's death in 2006, AQI merged into Islamic State of Iraq under leaders like Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Ayyub al-Masri. The 2011 outbreak of the Syrian Civil War enabled expansion into Syria under commanders such as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, creating Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in 2013. Dramatic territorial gains in 2014 included the capture of Mosul and the 2014 declaration of a caliphate in al-Nuri Mosque, prompting a multinational counteroffensive including Operation Inherent Resolve and campaigns by the Syrian Democratic Forces, Iraqi Armed Forces, and coalition partners like United States Armed Forces and Russian Armed Forces (2011–present). Key phases include governance (2014–2017), attrition and territorial loss (2017–2019), and diffusion into affiliates such as Islamic State – Khorasan Province and Islamic State – West Africa Province.

Ideology and Theology

ISIS adheres to Salafi-jihadist doctrine and an exclusive takfiri interpretation that declares rival Muslims apostate, drawing on narratives used by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Ibn Taymiyyah citations, and modern jihadist literature. The group invoked the concept of a caliphate to legitimize authority and justified violence through selective readings of Islamic texts, polemics directed at Shia Islam institutions, and denunciations of actors including Badr Organization and Hezbollah (Lebanon). It produced theological treatises and propaganda aimed at recruiting from communities in North Africa, Central Asia, and diaspora populations in Belgium, Netherlands, and Sweden.

Organization and Leadership

Leadership evolved from Zarqawi-era commanders to centralized command under figures like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and successors such as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi and Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. The structure combined a core shura council, provincial wilayats across Libya, Yemen, Somalia, and Sahel (Africa), and quasi-state ministries for finance, health, and education modeled on institutions in Baghdad and Raqqa. Command-and-control adapted to losses via decentralized cells, sleeper networks in Europe, and affiliate commanders such as Abu Musab al-Barnawi (Boko Haram splinter links) and regional emirs in Sinai insurgency branches.

Military Campaigns and Tactics

ISIS employed combined-arms campaigns, suicide bombings, improvised explosive devices, urban siege operations exemplified in Siege of Kobani and Battle of Mosul (2016–17), and asymmetric attacks in Paris (2015) and Brussels bombings. Tactics included use of captured military equipment from Iraqi Army arsenals, drones, and suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in Fallujah and Ramadi. The organization also conducted territorial defense against coalition airpower, adapting through tunnel systems in Khorasan and mobile guerrilla warfare in Anbar Governorate and Deir ez-Zor Governorate.

Governance and Administration

At its peak, ISIS administered civil services in urban centers, operating courts, policing bodies, and tax regimes modeled on controversial interpretations of historical institutions. It enforced social rules through religious police, regulated markets in Raqqa and Mosul, and maintained public works including water and electrical infrastructure. Governance relied on bureaucrats from former Iraqi government ministries and technocrats from Syria and attracted attention for issuing currency and certificates while imposing property confiscations and population controls.

Financing and Resources

Financing combined oil revenue from fields in Deir ez-Zor Governorate and Nineveh Governorate, taxation and extortion in captured territories, ransom from kidnappings (e.g., foreign hostages), antiquities smuggling via networks linked to markets in Turkey and Jordan, and external donations routed through intermediaries in Gulf Cooperation Council states. Revenue management involved centralized control in financial departments and investment in military procurement, propaganda, and administrative wages; sanctions and air strikes reduced income after 2015.

Crimes, Human Rights Abuses, and International Response

ISIS committed mass atrocity crimes including killings, beheadings, sexual slavery, forced displacement, and cultural heritage destruction at sites such as Palmyra and Mosul Museum. Accused perpetrators have been investigated by institutions like the International Criminal Court-related mechanisms and domestic courts in Iraq, Syria, and France; international responses included military coalitions, sanctions by the United Nations Security Council, and stabilization efforts by organizations including United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and International Committee of the Red Cross. Counterterrorism measures targeted recruitment, financing, and territorial command, while rehabilitation, de-radicalization, and judicial processes continue amid contested post-conflict governance in liberated areas.

Category:Organizations designated as terrorist by the United Nations