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The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is an active rebel group that controls territory in the Middle East and North Africa. No nation recognizes the organization as a state, and all territorial claims are contested. Their goal is the foundation of an and worldwide caliphate.

ISIL divides the territory which it controls or aspires to control into provinces—wilayah. After a series of expansions, as of November 2014 it claims provinces and controls territory in Iraq, Syria, Sinai, and Eastern Libya. It also claims provinces and has members in Algeria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia but does not control any territory in these countries.

Worldwide aspirations

Since 2004, the group's goal has been the foundation of an Islamic state. Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as a caliphate, an Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader—caliph—who is believed to be the successor to Muhammad.

In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad. That same month, ISIL removed "Iraq and the Levant" from its name and began to refer to itself as the "Islamic State", declaring a worldwide caliphate and naming al-Baghdadi as its caliph. By declaring itself as caliphate, al-Baghdadi was demanding the allegiance of all devout Muslims according to Islamic jurisprudence—fiqh.

Shaykh Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, spokesperson for ISIL, described the establishment of the caliphate as "a dream that lives in the depths of every Muslim believer" and "the abandoned obligation of the era", while ISIL stated: "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah's authority and arrival of its troops to their areas." ISIL thus rejects the political divisions (colonies) established by Western powers at the end of World War I in the Sykes–Picot Agreement as it absorbs territory in Syria and Iraq.

Specific territorial claims

Iraq

When the group renamed itself and announced the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006, it claimed authority over seven Iraqi provinces: Baghdad, Al Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Nineveh, and parts of Babil. It later created the province of Fallujah from territory which it already controlled.

Syria

In April 2014, the group claimed nine Syrian provinces, covering most of the country and lying largely along existing provincial boundaries: Al Barakah, Al Kheir, Ar-Raqqah, Al Badiya, Halab, Idlib, Hama, Damascus, and the Coast. A new province was created in August 2014 called al-Furat—"Euphrates"—which incorporates territory on both sides of the Syria–Iraq border.

Expansion in November 2014

On 13 November 2014, al-Baghdadi released an audio-recording in which he stated: "We announce to you the expansion of the Islamic State to new countries, to the countries of the Haramayn , Yemen, Egypt, Libya Algeria". In these countries he announced the creation of five new wilayah or provinces, each with a governor, while nullifying all local jihadist groups. These areas were singled out because the group had a strong base in them from which it could carry out attacks. However, according to analyst Aaron Zelin from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, only the groups in Sinai and Libya exercise any territorial control and the pledges from Saudi Arabia, Libya and Yemen are anonymous and not from known groups. The Long War Journal writes that the logical implication of al-Baghdadi's declaration is that the group will consider Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb illegitimate if they do not nullify themselves and submit to the group's authority.

Libya

The city of Derna has been a major source of fighters in the Syrian Civil War and Iraq Insurgency. During early 2014, a number of leading ISIL fighters arrived in Derna. In the next few months, they united many local militant factions under their leadership and declared war on anyone who opposed them, killing judges, civic leaders and other opponents, including local militants who rejected their authority. On 5 October 2014, the ISIL-linked militants, who then fully controlled the city, gathered to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. These events are seen by ISIL and its opponents as a model for ISIL expansion outside Iraq and Syria. ISIL calls this territory Barqa province, using a term denoting eastern Libya.

Egypt (Sinai)

The Egyptian militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis swore allegiance to ISIL in November 2014. After al-Baghdadi's speech on 13 November, the group changed its name to Sinai Province, on the Twitter feed claiming to represent the group. It controls some territory in Egypt.

Saudi Arabia

Al-Bagdadi called for the overthrow of the Saudi Royal Family and criticized the Kingdom's participation in the US-led coalition against ISIL. ISIL calls the KSA province Haramayn or "The Two Sanctuaries".

References

1. Zack Beauchamp (2 September 2014). "17 things about ISIS and Iraq you need to know". Vox Media. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
2. Abu Mohammad. "Letter dated 9 July 2005" (PDF). Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Retrieved 22 July 2014. See page 2 onwards.
3. ^ Johnson, M. Alex (3 September 2014). "'Deviant and Pathological': What Do ISIS Extremists Really Want?". NBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
4. Cite error: The named reference newname was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
5. Laith Kubba (7 July 2014). "Who is the U.S. targeting in Iraq air strikes?". Al Jazeera.
6. Daragahi, Borzou; Jones, Sam; Kerr, Simeon (29 June 2014). "Iraq crisis: Isis declares establishment of a sovereign state". Financial Times. Retrieved 29 June 2014.(subscription required)
7. Zelin, Aaron Y. (30 June 2014). "ISIS Is Dead, Long Live the Islamic State". Foreign Policy. The Washington Institute. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
8. Tran, Mark; Weaver, Matthew (30 June 2014). "Isis announces Islamic caliphate in area straddling Iraq and Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
9. McGrath, Timothy (2 July 2014). "Watch this English-speaking ISIS fighter explain how a 98-year-old colonial map created today's conflict". Los Angeles Times. GlobalPost. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
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13. "ISIS' 'Southern Division' praises foreign suicide bombers". The Long War Journal. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
14. "Middle East – تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية يعلن قيام "ولاية الفرات" على أراض سورية وعراقية – فرانس 24". France 24. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
15. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 September 2014). "Islamic State "Euphrates Province" Statement: Translation and Analysis". aymennjawad.org. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
16. ^ "Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech". Reuters.
17. "Baghdadi welcomes new pledges of IS allegiance". Al Monitor. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014. "We announce to you the expansion of the Islamic State to new countries, to the countries of the Haramayn , Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Algeria," Baghdadi said.
18. "The Islamic State's Archipelago of Provinces". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014. Baghdadi also noted that his declaration entails "nullification" of all jihadist local groups in the five places mentioned above, as well as "the announcement of new wilayat (provinces) of the Islamic State and the appointment of wulat (governors) for them."
19. JOSCELYN, THOMAS. "Analysis: Islamic State snuff videos help to attract more followers". Long War Journal. Long War Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
20. "Libyan city is first outside Syria, Iraq to join ISIS". Haaretz.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.