Established in October 2006 as a result of the merger of several radical Sunni units led by the al-Qaeda unit in Iraq called the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS). At the same time, the “Constitution” – “Notification of mankind of the birth of an Islamic state” was adopted. The IS set a goal to seize the Sunni part of Iraq and turn it into a militarized Islamic state. In 2010, the emir of the Institute became one of the leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In April 2013, through the merger of two “affiliates” of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria – the Islamic State of Iraq and the Syrian Jebhat AL-Nusra (a terrorist group) an organization was formed called “Islamic The State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), whose goal was to create an Islamic emirate on the territory of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
On April 10, 2013, ISIS fighters swore allegiance to Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. However, due to enmity and regular clashes between the Iraqi and Syrian factions az-Zawahiri in November 2013 decided to dissolve the ISIL so that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Jebhat AL-Nusra act independently of each other, In Iraq, and the other in Syria. However, ISIS continued to operate on the territory of both states. In September 2015, Ayman al-Zawahiri suggested that the Islamic State militants should act as a united front against the “crusaders and atheists,” while emphasizing that they do not recognize the caliphate they declared.
In June 2014, the ISIS terrorists took control of several oil fields near the cities of Mosul and Kirkuk (Iraq). Capturing large military bases in Iraq, they received at their disposal a large number of weapons and military equipment, including portable anti-aircraft missile systems, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and howitzers of American manufacture. According to US intelligence and statements by the Iraqi authorities, IS fighters also possess chemical weapons and repeatedly used mustard and chlorine-containing ammunition in Syria and Iraq.
In June 2014 ISIL announced the establishment of the “Islamic Caliphate” in the occupied territories of Iraq and Syria, and the leader of the organization Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed “caliph”. At the same time, it was decided to rename the group into the Islamic State.
The CIA estimates that the strength of the group is about 30,000, while the Iraqi authorities claim 200,000. According to estimates by the Russian Defense Ministry in December 2015, the IG has 60,000 people. Citizens of 80 countries are fighting in the ranks of militants, including about 2 thousand Russian citizens.
Complete Article: https://eurasiantimes.com/isis/