Islamic State of Iraq

Islamic State(Arabic) الدولة اإلسالمية

ad-Dawlah l-Islāmīyyah

Flag Coat of arms

Motto: باقية وتتمدد (Arabic)"Bāqiyah wa-Tatamaddad" (transliteration)

"Remaining and Expanding"[1][2]

As of 4 September 2014

Areas controlled by the Islamic State Areas claimed by the Islamic State Rest of Iraq and Syria

Note: map includes uninhabited areas.

Capital Ar-Raqqah, Syria[3][4]

35°57′N 39°1′E

Government Caliphate - Caliph[5] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi/

"Ibrahim"[6][7]

Establishment - Islamic State of Iraq

and the Levant declared3 January 2014[8][9]

- Caliphate declared 29 June 2014[5]

Time zone Arabia Standard Time(UTC+3)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Islamic State (IS; Arabic: الدولة اإلسالمية ad-Dawlahl-ʾIslāmiyyah), previously self-described as the Islamic Stateof Iraq and the Levant (ISIL /ˈaɪsəl/; Arabic: الدولة اإلسالمية في,also translated: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria العراق والشامISIS /ˈaɪsɪs/, with Arabic acronym: داعش Daʿesh)[a] is a Sunnijihadist group in the Middle East. In its self-proclaimed statusas a caliphate, it claims religious authority over all Muslimsacross the world[65] and aspires to bring most of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control[66]

beginning with Iraq, Syria and other territories in the Levantregion which include Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon,Cyprus and part of southern Turkey.[67] It has beendesignated as a foreign terrorist organization by the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Indonesia andSaudi Arabia, and has been described by the UnitedNations[68] and Western and Middle Eastern media as aterrorist group and by other countries such as Colombia[69] asa fundamentalist and extremist organization. The UnitedNations and Amnesty International have accused the group ofgrave human rights abuses.

The Islamic State, still regularly described as ISIL, ISIS andDaʿesh, originated as Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999.This group was the forerunner of Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fiBilad al-Rafidayn—later commonly known as al-Qaeda inIraq (AQI)—a group formed by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi in2004 which took part in the Iraqi insurgency againstAmerican-led forces and their Iraqi allies following the 2003invasion of Iraq.[67][70] During the 2003–2011 Iraq War, itjoined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the MujahideenShura Council before adopting the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI/ˈaɪsɪ/).[70][71] At its height it enjoyed a significant presence inthe Iraqi governorates of Al Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk, most ofSalah ad Din, parts of Babil, Diyala and Baghdad, andclaimed Baqubah as a capital city.[72][73][74][75] However, theviolent attempts by the Islamic State of Iraq to govern itsterritory led to a backlash from Sunni Iraqis and otherinsurgent groups circa 2008, which helped to propel theAwakening movement and a temporary decline in the group.[70][76]

ISIL grew significantly under the leadership of Abu Bakral-Baghdadi, gaining support in Iraq as a result of allegedeconomic and political discrimination against Iraqi Sunnis.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant

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Islamic State(Arabic) الدولة اإلسالمية

Participant in the Iraq War, the Global War onTerrorism, the Iraqi insurgency, and the Syrian Civil

War

Active 2004–present[10][11] (under various

names)[12]

Ideology Sunni IslamismSalafist JihadismWorldwide CaliphateAnti-Shiaism

Leaders Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi(Caliph)[5]

Abu Omar al-Shishani(Field Commander)[13][14]

Abu Mohammadal-Adnani (Spokesman)[15]

Headquarters Ar-Raqqah, Syria

Area ofoperations Iraq Syria

Lebanon[16][17]

Strength 80,000–100,000 (up to 50,000 inSyria and 30,000 in Iraq) (SOHR

est.)[18][19]

20,000-31,500 (CIA est.)[20]

Part of al-Qaeda (2004[21]–2014)[22]

Originated as Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad(The Group of Monotheism and Jihad)

Al-Qaeda in IraqMujahideen Shura CouncilIslamic State of Iraq

Allies Boko Haram[23]

Jemaah Islamiya[24]

al-Qaeda in the IslamicMaghreb[25]

al-Qaeda in the ArabianPeninsula[26]

Bangsamoro IslamicFreedom Fighters[27]

Then, after entering the Syrian Civil War, it established alarge presence in the Syrian governorates of Ar-Raqqah,Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo.[77] In June 2014, it had atleast 4,000 fighters in its ranks in Iraq.[78] It has claimedresponsibility for attacks on government and military targetsand for attacks that killed thousands of civilians.[79] InAugust 2014, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rightsclaimed that the number of fighters in the group hadincreased to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq,[18] while theCIA estimated in September 2014 that in both countries ithad between 20,000 and 31,500 fighters.[20] ISIL had closelinks to al-Qaeda until February 2014 when, after aneight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda cut all ties with thegroup, reportedly for its brutality and "notoriousintractability".[80][81]

ISIL’s original aim was to establish a caliphate in the Sunni-majority regions of Iraq, and following its involvement in theSyrian Civil War this expanded to include controlling Sunni-majority areas of Syria.[82] A caliphate was proclaimed on 29June 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—now known as Amiral-Mu'minin Caliph Ibrahim—was named as its caliph, andthe group was renamed the Islamic State.[5]

1 Name and name changes1.1 Index of names

2 Ideology and beliefs3 Goals4 Territorial claims

4.1 Governance5 Analysis6 Propaganda and social media7 Finances8 Equipment9 History

9.1 As Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad(1999–2004)9.2 As Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Biladal-Rafidayn (2004–2006)


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OpponentsNATO[28][29][30]

United States[30]

United Kingdom[29]

France[29]

Italy[29]

Germany[29]

Poland[29]

Denmark[29]

Canada[29]

Turkey[29]

Australia (GP) [29]

al-Qaeda

al-Nusra Front[31] (truce)

Sunni Iraqi Insurgents

Naqshbandi Army [32]

Supreme Command forJihad and LiberationGeneral Military Councilfor IraqiRevolutionaries[33][34]

Islamic Army in Iraq

Iran[35]

Islamic RevolutionaryGuard

Quds Force[36]

Iraq

Iraqi Armed ForcesIraqi Shia militiasIraqi Turkmen Front[37]

Awakening Councils

Kurdish forces

PeshmergaPeople's ProtectionUnits[38]

9.2.1 Involvement in Iraqi Insurgency9.2.2 Inciting sectarian violence9.2.3 Operations outside Iraq and otheractivities9.2.4 Goals and umbrella organizations

9.3 As Islamic State of Iraq (2006–2013)9.3.1 Strength and activity9.3.2 Decline9.3.3 Conflicts with other groups9.3.4 Transformation and resurgence

9.4 As Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant(2013–2014)

9.4.1 Declaration and dispute withal-Nusra Front9.4.2 Conflicts with other groups9.4.3 Relations with the Syriangovernment

9.5 As Islamic State (2014–present)10 Human rights abuses

10.1 War crimes accusations10.2 Religious persecution10.3 Treatment of civilians10.4 Sexual violence allegations10.5 Guidelines for civilians

11 Timeline of events11.1 2003–06 events11.2 2007 events11.3 2009–12 events11.4 2013 events11.5 2014 events11.6 September 2014

12 Notable members13 Designation as a terrorist organization14 Conspiracy theories15 See also16 Notes17 References


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Assyrian forces

Syriac Military Council[39]

Sutoro[40]

Assyrian PatrioticParty[41]

Assyrian DemocraticMovement[42][43]

Qaraqosh ProtectionCommittee[44]

Syria[45]

Syrian Armed Forces

Syrian Opposition[46][47][48]

Free Syrian ArmySyria RevolutionariesFrontIslamic FrontArmy of Mujahedeen[49]

United States (aerialoperations)[50]

United States Navy[51]

Lebanon

Lebanese ArmedForces[52]

Hezbollah[53]

Turkey

Turkish Armed Forces(border clashes)[54][55]

[56][57]

General Directorate ofSecurity (raids in İstanbul)[58][59]

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Armed Forces(border protection)[60]

18 Bibliography19 External links

Since its formation in early 1999; as Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīdwa-al-Jihād, "The Organization of Monotheism and Jihad"(JTJ), the group has had a number of different names,including some that other groups use for it.[10][70]

In October 2004, the group leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawiswore loyalty to Osama bin Laden and changed the name ofthe group to Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-Rāfidayn,"The Organization of Jihad's Base in the Country of the TwoRivers," more commonly known as "Al-Qaeda in Iraq"(AQI).[10][83] Although the group has never called itself"Al-Qaeda in Iraq", this name has frequently been used todescribe it through its various incarnations.[12]

In January 2006, AQI merged with several smaller Iraqiinsurgent groups under an umbrella organization called the"Mujahideen Shura Council." This was claimed to be littlemore than a media exercise and an attempt to give the groupa more Iraqi flavour and perhaps to distance al-Qaeda fromsome of al-Zarqawi's tactical errors, notably the 2005bombings by AQI of three hotels in Amman.[84] Al-Zarqawiwas killed in June 2006, after which the group directionshifted again.

On 12 October 2006, the Mujahideen Shura Council joinedfour more insurgent factions and the representatives of anumber of Iraqi Arab tribes, and together they swore thetraditional Arab oath of allegiance known as Ḥilfal-Muṭayyabīn ("Oath of the Scented Ones").[b][85][86]

During the ceremony, the participants swore to free Iraq'sSunnis from what they described as Shia and foreignoppression, and to further the name of Allah and restoreIslam to glory.[c][85]

On 13 October 2006, the establishment of the Dawlatal-ʻIraq al-Islāmīyah, "Islamic State of Iraq" (ISI) wasannounced.[10][87] A cabinet was formed and Abu Abdullahal-Rashid al-Baghdadi became ISI's figurehead emir, withthe real power residing with the Egyptian Abu Ayyubal-Masri.[88] The declaration was met with hostile criticism,not only from ISI's jihadist rivals in Iraq, but from leading


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Indonesia

Indonesian NationalPolice[61]

Battlesand wars Iraq War

Al Anbar campaignSecond Battle ofFallujahCivil war in Iraq(2006–07)

Iraqi InsurgencyOperational-ShabahAnbar campaign(2013–14)Northern Iraqoffensive (June2014)

Northern Iraq offensive(August 2014)

Islamic State-United StatesconflictSinjar massacre

Syrian Civil War2013 Latakiaoffensive[62]

Syrian Kurdish–Islamist conflict[63]

Battle ofQalamoun[64]

Inter-rebel conflictin SyriaBattle of AleppoDeir ez-Zor clashesBattle of Arsal

jihadist ideologues outside the country.[89] Al-Baghdadi andal-Masri were both killed in a US–Iraqi operation in April2010. The next leader of the ISI was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,the current leader of ISIL.

On 8 April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the groupadopted the name "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant",also known as "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham."[90][91][92]

The name is abbreviated as ISIL or alternately ISIS. Thefinal "S" in the acronym ISIS stems from the Arabic wordShām (or Shaam), which in the context of global jihad—as inJund al-Sham, for example—refers to the Levant or GreaterSyria.[93][94] ISIS was also known as al-Dawlah ("the State"),or al-Dawlat al-Islāmīyah ("the Islamic State"). These areshort-forms of the name "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham"in Arabic.[95]

ISIL's detractors, particularly in Syria, refer to the groupaccording to various forms of "Daʿesh" (correctlypronounced Da3esh and correctly transliterated Dāʿesh), aterm that is based on the Arabic letters, Dāl, ʾAlif, ʿAyn andŠīn(Shin), that form the acronym (داعش) of Arabic name forISIL: al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Iraq wa ash-Sham.[96][97] Thegroup considers the term derogatory and reportedly usesflogging as a punishment for people who use the acronym inISIL-controlled areas.[98][99]

On 14 May 2014, the United States Department of Stateannounced its decision to use "Islamic State of Iraq and theLevant" (ISIL) as the group's primary name.[97] The debateover which acronym should be used to designate the group,ISIL or ISIS, has been discussed by several commentators.[94][95]

On 29 June 2014, the establishment of a new caliphate wasannounced, and the group formally changed its name to the"Islamic State".[5][100][101][d]

In late August 2014, a leading Islamic authority Dar al-Iftaal-Misriyyah in Egypt advised Muslims to stop calling thegroup "Islamic State" and instead refer to it as "Al-QaedaSeparatists in Iraq and Syria" or "QSIS", because of themilitant group's un-Islamic character.[103][104]

Index of names

These names are discussed above.


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al-Dawlah ("the State")al-Dawlat al-Islāmīyah ("the Islamic State")AQI : Al-Qaeda in Iraq : Tanẓīm Qāʻidat al-Jihād fī Bilād al-RāfidaynDaʿesh / Da'ish / Daesh (داعش) : al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Iraq wa ash-ShamISI : Islamic State of Iraq : Dawlat al-ʻIraq al-IslāmīyahISIL : Islamic State of Iraq and the LevantISIS : Islamic State of Iraq and al-ShamIslamic StateJTJ : Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād : The Organization of Monotheism and JihadMujahideen Shura CouncilQSIS : Al-Qaeda Separatists in Iraq and Syria

ISIL is a Sunni extremist group that follows al-Qaeda's hard-line ideology and adheres to global jihadistprinciples.[105][106] Like al-Qaeda and many other modern-day jihadist groups, ISIL emerged from the ideologyof the Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s first Islamist group dating back to the late 1920s in Egypt.[107] ISILfollows an extreme anti-Western interpretation of Islam, promotes religious violence and regards those who donot agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates. Concurrently, ISIL—now IS—aims to establish aSalafist-orientated Islamist state in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Levant.[106]

ISIL's ideology originates in the branch of modern Islam that aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejectinglater "innovations" in the religion which it believes corrupt its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and theOttoman empire for deviating from what it calls pure Islam and hence has been attempting to establish its owncaliphate.[108] However, some Sunni commentators, including Salafi and jihadi muftis such as Adnan al-Aroorand Abu Basir al-Tartusi, say that ISIL 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.[109][110]

[111][112] Other critics of ISIL's brand of Sunni Islam include Salafists who previously publicly supported jihadistgroups including al-Qaeda, for example the Saudi government official Saleh Al-Fawzan claims that ISIL is acreation of “Zionists, Crusaders and Safavids”, and the Jordanian-Palestinian writer Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisiwho was released from Jordanian prison in June, 2014.[112]

Salafists such as ISIL believe that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of jihad, and that thefirst priority over other areas of combat, such as fighting non-Muslim countries, is the purification of Islamicsociety. For example, when it comes to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, since ISIL regards the Palestinian Sunnigroup Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad, it regards fighting Hamas as the firststep toward confrontation with Israel.[113][114]

Since 2004, the group's goal has been the foundation of an Islamic state in the Levant.[115][116] Specifically, ISILseeks the establishment of a caliphate, a type of Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under asupreme leader—caliph—who is believed to be the successor to Mohammed.[117] In June 2014, ISIS published a


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document which it claimed linked ISIS's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to the prophet.[117] That same month, ISISremoved "Iraq and the Levant" from its name and began to refer to itself as the Islamic State, declaring theterritory that it occupied in Iraq and Syria a new caliphate and naming al-Baghdadi as its caliph.[5] By declaringa caliphate, al-Baghdadi was demanding the allegiance of all devout Muslims according to Islamic jurisprudence—fiqh.[118] ISIS has also stated: "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null bythe expansion of the khilafah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas."[117] ISIL thusrejects the political divisions established by Western powers at the end of World War I in the Sykes–PicotAgreement as it absorbs territory in Syria and Iraq.[119][120][121]

On 13 October 2006, the group announced the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq, which claimedauthority over the Iraqi governorates of Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Nineveh and parts ofBabil.[87] Following the 2013 expansion of the group into Syria and the announcement of the Islamic State ofIraq and the Levant, the number of wilayah—provinces—which it claimed increased to 16. In addition to theseven Iraqi wilayah, the Syrian divisions, largely lying along existing provincial boundaries, are Al Barakah, AlKheir, Ar-Raqqah, Al Badiya, Halab, Idlib, Hama, Damascus and the Coast.[122] After taking control of bothsides of the border in mid-2014, ISIS created a new province incorporating both Syrian territory around AlbuKamal and Iraqi territory around Qaim. This new wilayah was designated al-Furat.[123] In Syria, ISIL's seat ofpower is in Ar-Raqqah Governorate. Top ISIL leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, are known to havevisited its provincial capital, Ar-Raqqah.[122]

Governance

British security expert Frank Gardner concluded that the group's prospects of maintaining control and rule weregreater in 2014 than they had been in 2006. Despite being as brutal as before, ISIS has become "wellentrenched" among the population and is not likely to be dislodged by ineffective Syrian or Iraqi forces. It hasreplaced corrupt governance with functioning locally-controlled authorities. Services have been restored andthere are adequate supplies of water and oil. With Western-backed intervention being unlikely, the group will"continue to hold their ground" and rule an area "the size of Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future", hesaid.[124][125]

Ar-Raqqah in Syria is the de facto capital of the Islamic State. It is said to be a "test case" or "show case" ofISIS governance.[126] As of September 2014, governance in Ar-Raqqah is under the total control of ISIS, whereit has rebuilt the structure of modern government in less than a year. Former government workers from theAssad regime maintain their jobs after pledging allegiance to ISIS. Institutions, restored and restructured, areproviding services. The Ar-Raqqah dam continues to provide electricity and water. Foreign expertisesupplements Syrian officials in running civilian institutions. Only the police and soldiers are ISIS fighters, whoreceive confiscated lodging previously owned by non-Sunnis and others who fled. Welfare services areprovided, price controls established, and taxes imposed on the wealthy. Exporting oil from oilfields that it hascaptured brings in tens of millions of dollars.[125][127] ISIS runs a soft power program in the areas under itscontrol in Iraq and Syria, which includes social services, religious lectures and da'wah—proselytizing—to localpopulations. It also performs public services such as repairing roads and maintaining the electricity supply.[128]


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After significant setbacks for the group during the latter stages of the coalition forces' presence in Iraq, by late2012 it was thought to have renewed its strength and more than doubled the number of its members to about2,500,[129] and since its formation in April 2013, ISIS grew rapidly in strength and influence in Iraq and Syria. InJune 2014, The Economist reported that "ISIS may have up to 6,000 fighters in Iraq and 3,000–5,000 in Syria,including perhaps 3,000 foreigners; nearly a thousand are reported to hail from Chechnya and perhaps 500 or somore from France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe".[130] Chechen fighter Abu Omar al-Shishani, for example,was made commander of the northern sector of ISIS in Syria in 2013.[131][132]

Analysts have underlined the deliberate inflammation of sectarian conflict between Iraqi Shias and Sunnisduring the Iraq War by various Sunni and Shia players as the root cause of ISIS's rise. The post-invasion policiesof the international coalition forces have also been cited as a factor, with Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at theNational University of Singapore's Middle East Institute, blaming the coalition forces during the Iraq War for"enshrining identity politics as the key marker of Iraqi politics".[133]

By 2014, ISIS was increasingly being viewed as a militia rather than a terrorist group by some organizations.[134]

As major Iraqi cities fell to al-Baghdadi's cohorts in June, Jessica Lewis, a former US army intelligence officer atthe Institute for the Study of War, described ISIS as "not a terrorism problem anymore", but rather "an army onthe move in Iraq and Syria, and they are taking terrain. They have shadow governments in and around Baghdad,and they have an aspirational goal to govern. I don't know whether they want to control Baghdad, or if theywant to destroy the functions of the Iraqi state, but either way the outcome will be disastrous for Iraq." Lewishas called ISIS "an advanced military leadership". She said, "They have incredible command and control andthey have a sophisticated reporting mechanism from the field that can relay tactics and directives up and downthe line. They are well-financed, and they have big sources of manpower, not just the foreign fighters, but alsoprisoner escapees."[134]

According to the Institute for the Study of War, ISIS's 2013 annual report reveals a metrics-driven militarycommand, which is "a strong indication of a unified, coherent leadership structure that commands from the topdown".[135] Middle East Forum's Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi said, "They are highly skilled in urban guerrillawarfare while the new Iraqi Army simply lacks tactical competence."[134] Seasoned observers point to systemiccorruption within the Iraq Army, it being little more than a system of patronage, and have attributed to this itsspectacular collapse as ISIS and its allies took over large swaths of Iraq in June 2014.[136]

While officials fear ISIS may either inspire attacks in the United States by sympathizers or those returning afterjoining ISIS, American intelligence agencies find there is no immediate threat or specific plots. DefenseSecretary Chuck Hagel sees an “imminent threat to every interest we have.” Daniel Benjamin, former topcounterterrorism adviser, derides such alarmist talk as a “farce” that panics the public.[137]

Hillary Clinton stated: "The failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people who were theoriginators of the protests against Assad—there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything inthe middle—the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled."[138]

ISIS is also known for its effective use of propaganda.[139] In November 2006, shortly after the creation of theIslamic State of Iraq, the group established the al-Furqan Institute for Media Production, which produces CDs,DVDs, posters, pamphlets, and web-related propaganda products.[140] ISIS's main media outlet is the I'tisaamMedia Foundation,[141] which was formed in March 2013 and distributes through the Global Islamic Media


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The logo of Al-Hayat Media Center

Front (GIMF).[142] In 2014, ISIS established the Al Hayat Media Center,which targets a Western audience and produces material in English,German, Russian and French.[143][144] In 2014 it also launched the AjnadMedia Foundation, which releases jihadist audio chants.[145]

In July 2014, ISIS began publishing a digital magazine called Dabiq inmultiple languages, including English. According to the magazine, itsname is taken from the town in northern Syria, which is mentioned in ahadith about Armageddon.[146] Harleen K. Gambhir, of the Institute forthe Study of War, found that while al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula'sInspire magazine focused on encouraging its readers to carry outlone-wolf attacks on the West, Dabiq is more concerned withestablishing the religious legitimacy of ISIS and its self-proclaimedcaliphate, and encouraging Muslims to emigrate there.[147]

ISIS's use of social media has been described by one expert as "probably more sophisticated than [that of] mostUS companies".[148][149] It regularly takes advantage of social media, particularly Twitter, to distribute itsmessage by organizing hashtag campaigns, encouraging Tweets on popular hashtags, and utilizing softwareapplications that enable ISIS propaganda to be distributed to its supporters' accounts.[150] Another comment isthat "ISIS puts more emphasis on social media than other jihadi groups. ... They have a very coordinated socialmedia presence."[151] In August 2014, Twitter administrators shut down a number of accounts associated withISIS. ISIS recreated and publicized new accounts the next day, which were also shut down by Twitteradministrators.[152] The group has attempted to branch out into alternate social media sites, such as Quitter,Friendica and Diaspora; Quitter and Friendica, however, almost immediately worked to remove ISIS's presencefrom their sites.[153] ISIS released some special videos to influence poor & illiterate Muslim youth in Indiansub-Continent. Reportedly 2 Youth from Thane & 4 youth from mumbai joined in ISIS from India.[154] Afterfinding this to be genuine report Govt of India is effective in controlling the youth joining ISIS. Four youth fromHyderabad were caught in Kolkata while flying to Syria to join ISIS.

On 19 August 2014, a propaganda video showing the beheading of US photojournalist James Foley was postedon the Internet. ISIS claimed that the killing had been carried out in revenge for the US bombing of ISIS targets.The video promised that a second captured US journalist Steven Sotloff would be killed next if the airstrikescontinued.[155] On September 2, 2014, ISIS released a video purportedly showing their beheading of Sotloff.[156]

In the video the executioner says, "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policytowards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and on Mosul Dam, despiteour serious warnings. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike thenecks of your people." [157] The next scene shows the same executioner holding the orange jumpsuit of anotherprisoner, and saying "We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance ofAmerica against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone."[157][158] On September 13, 2014, ISISreleased another similar video purportedly depicting the beheading of David Haines, a British aid worker theyhad been holding hostage.[159]

A study of 200 documents—personal letters, expense reports and membership rosters—captured from Al-Qaedain Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq was carried out by the RAND Corporation in 2014.[160] It found that from


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2005 until 2010, outside donations amounted to only 5% of the group’s operating budgets, with the rest beingraised within Iraq.[160] In the time-period studied, cells were required to send up to 20% of the income generatedfrom kidnapping, extortion rackets and other activities to the next level of the group's leadership. Higher-rankingcommanders would then redistribute the funds to provincial or local cells that were in difficulties or neededmoney to conduct attacks.[160] The records show that the Islamic State of Iraq was dependent on members fromMosul for cash, which the leadership used to provide additional funds to struggling militants in Diyala,Salahuddin and Baghdad.[160]

In mid-2014, Iraqi intelligence extracted information from an ISIS operative which revealed that theorganization had assets worth US$2 billion,[161] making it the richest jihadist group in the world.[162] About threequarters of this sum is said to be represented by assets seized after the group captured Mosul in June 2014; thisincludes possibly up to US$429 million looted from Mosul's central bank, along with additional millions and alarge quantity of gold bullion stolen from a number of other banks in Mosul.[163][164] However, doubt was latercast on whether ISIS was able to retrieve anywhere near that sum from the central bank,[165] and even onwhether the bank robberies had actually occurred.[166]

ISIL has routinely practised extortion, by demanding money from truck drivers and threatening to blow upbusinesses, for example. Robbing banks and gold shops has been another source of income.[167] The group iswidely reported as receiving funding from private donors in the Gulf states,[168][169] and both Iran and IraqiPrime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of funding ISIS,[170][171][172][173] althoughthere is reportedly no evidence that this is the case.[173][174][175][176]

The group is also believed to receive considerable funds from its operations in Eastern Syria, where it hascommandeered oilfields and engages in smuggling out raw materials and archaeological artifacts.[177][178] ISISalso generates revenue from producing crude oil and selling electric power in northern Syria. Some of thiselectricity is reportedly sold back to the Syrian government.[179]

Since 2012, ISIS has produced annual reports giving numerical information on its operations, somewhat in thestyle of corporate reports, seemingly in a bid to encourage potential donors.[148][180]

The most common weapons used against US and other Coalition forces during the Iraq insurgency were thosetaken from Saddam Hussein's weapon stockpiles around the country, these included AKM variant assault rifles,PK machine guns and RPG-7s.[181] ISIS has been able to strengthen its military capability by capturing largequantities and varieties of weaponry during the Syrian Civil War and Post-US Iraq insurgency. These weaponsseizures have improved the group's capacity to carry out successful subsequent operations and obtain moreequipment.[182] Weaponry that ISIL has reportedly captured and employed include SA-7[183] and Stinger[184]

surface-to-air missiles, M79 Osa, HJ-8[185] and AT-4 Spigot[183] anti-tank weapons, Type 59 field guns[185] andM198 howitzers,[186] Humvees, T-54/55, T-72, and M1 Abrams[187]main battle tanks,[185] M1117 armouredcars,[188] truck mounted DShK guns,[183] ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns,[189][190] BM-21 Grad multiple rocketlaunchers[182] and at least one Scud missile.[191]

When ISIL captured Mosul Airport in June 2014, it seized a number of UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters and cargoplanes that were stationed there.[192][193] However, according to Peter Beaumont of The Guardian, it seemed


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Documents

Islamic State of Iraq