The al Qaeda breakaway group that has seized much of northeastern Syria
and huge tracts of neighbouring Iraq formally declared a new Islamic
state yesterday.
Holy huddle: Indonesia.
The Sunni extremist group has carved out a chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria.
But the declaration, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, could trigger infighting among the Sunni militant factions that formed a loose alliance in the blitz across Iraq and impact the broader international jihadist movement, especially al Qaeda.
A spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) declared the group’s chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the leader of the new caliphate, or Islamic state, and called on Muslims everywhere, not just those in areas under the organisation’s control, to swear loyalty to al-Baghdadi and to support him.
‘‘The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph’s authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas,’’ said Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, in an audio statement posted online.
‘‘Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day.’’
Al-Adnani loosely defined the Islamic state’s territory as running from northern Syria to the Iraqi province of Diyala – a stretch of land straddling the border that is already largely under the Islamic state’s control.
He also said the group was changing its name to the Islamic State, dropping the mention of Iraq and the Levant or Syria.
Muslim extremists have long dreamed of recreating the Islamic state, or caliphate, that ruled over the Middle East, much of North Africa and beyond in various forms in Islam’s 1400-year history.
It was unclear what immediate impact the declaration would have on the ground in Syria and Iraq, though experts predicted it could herald infighting among the Sunni militants who have joined forces with the Islamic State in its fight against Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Shi’ite-led government. ‘‘Now the insurgents in Iraq have no excuse for working with Isis if they were hoping to share power with Isis,’’ said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a specialist analyst of Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.
‘‘The prospect of infighting in
Flag of faith: Iraq is increased for sure.’’
The greatest impact, however, could be on the broader international jihadist movement, in particular on al Qaeda.
Founded by Osama bin Laden, the group that carried out the 9/11 attacks in the United States has long carried the mantle of the international jihadi cause.
Holy huddle: Indonesia.
The Sunni extremist group has carved out a chunk of territory that has effectively erased the border between Iraq and Syria.
But the declaration, made on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, could trigger infighting among the Sunni militant factions that formed a loose alliance in the blitz across Iraq and impact the broader international jihadist movement, especially al Qaeda.
A spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) declared the group’s chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the leader of the new caliphate, or Islamic state, and called on Muslims everywhere, not just those in areas under the organisation’s control, to swear loyalty to al-Baghdadi and to support him.
‘‘The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph’s authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas,’’ said Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, in an audio statement posted online.
‘‘Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day.’’
Al-Adnani loosely defined the Islamic state’s territory as running from northern Syria to the Iraqi province of Diyala – a stretch of land straddling the border that is already largely under the Islamic state’s control.
He also said the group was changing its name to the Islamic State, dropping the mention of Iraq and the Levant or Syria.
Muslim extremists have long dreamed of recreating the Islamic state, or caliphate, that ruled over the Middle East, much of North Africa and beyond in various forms in Islam’s 1400-year history.
It was unclear what immediate impact the declaration would have on the ground in Syria and Iraq, though experts predicted it could herald infighting among the Sunni militants who have joined forces with the Islamic State in its fight against Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Shi’ite-led government. ‘‘Now the insurgents in Iraq have no excuse for working with Isis if they were hoping to share power with Isis,’’ said Aymenn al-Tamimi, a specialist analyst of Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.
‘‘The prospect of infighting in
Flag of faith: Iraq is increased for sure.’’
The greatest impact, however, could be on the broader international jihadist movement, in particular on al Qaeda.
Founded by Osama bin Laden, the group that carried out the 9/11 attacks in the United States has long carried the mantle of the international jihadi cause.
But the Islamic State has managed to do what al Qaeda never has –
carve out a large swath of territory in the heart of the Arab world and
control it.
‘‘This announcement poses a huge threat to al Qaeda and its long-time position of leadership of the international jihadist cause,’’ said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre.
‘‘Taken globally, the younger generation of the jihadist community is becoming more and more supportive of [the Islamic State], largely out of fealty to its slick and proven capacity for attaining rapid results through brutality,’’ Lister said.
In Washington, the Obama Administration called on the international community to unite in the face of the threat posed by the Sunni extremists.
‘‘[The] strategy to develop a caliphate across the region has been clear for some time now.
‘‘That is why this is a critical moment for the international community to stand together against [Isis] and the advances it has made,’’ a US state department spokeswoman said.
The Islamic State’s declaration comes as the Iraqi Government tries to wrest back some of the territory it has lost to the jihadi group and its Sunni militant allies in recent weeks. On Sunday, Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions for a second consecutive day in the northern city of Tikrit, the predominantly Sunni hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi military launched its push to wrest back Tikrit, a hotbed of antipathy toward Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government, on Saturday with a multipronged assault spearheaded by ground troops backed by tanks and helicopters. The insurgents appeared to have repelled the military’s initial push for Tikrit, and remained in control of the city yesterday, but clashes were taking place in the northern neighbourhood of Qadissiyah, two residents reported by phone.
Jawad al-Bolani, a security official in the provincial operation command, said the US was sharing intelligence with Iraq and had played an ‘‘essential’’ role in the Tikrit offensive.
‘‘The Americans are with us and they are an important part in the success we are achieving in and around Tikrit,’’ al-Bolani said.
The US has sent 180 of 300 American troops President Barack Obama promised to help Iraqi forces. The US is also flying manned and unmanned aircraft on reconnaissance missions over Iraq. Iraq’s Government is eager to make progress in Tikrit after weeks of demoralising defeats at the hands of the Islamic State and its Sunni allies.
The militants’ surge across the vast Sunni-dominated areas that stretch from Baghdad north and west to the Syrian and Jordanian borders has thrown Iraq into its deepest crisis since US troops withdrew in December 2011.
More ominously, the insurgent blitz, which prompted Kurdish forces to assert long-held claims over disputed territory, has raised the prospect of Iraq being split in three, along sectarian and ethnic lines. Al-Maliki, a Shi’ite who has been widely accused of monopolising power and alienating Iraq’s Sunni and Kurdish minorities, is under growing pressure to step aside.
But he appears set on a third consecutive term as prime minister after his bloc won the most seats in elections in April.
‘‘This announcement poses a huge threat to al Qaeda and its long-time position of leadership of the international jihadist cause,’’ said Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre.
‘‘Taken globally, the younger generation of the jihadist community is becoming more and more supportive of [the Islamic State], largely out of fealty to its slick and proven capacity for attaining rapid results through brutality,’’ Lister said.
In Washington, the Obama Administration called on the international community to unite in the face of the threat posed by the Sunni extremists.
‘‘[The] strategy to develop a caliphate across the region has been clear for some time now.
‘‘That is why this is a critical moment for the international community to stand together against [Isis] and the advances it has made,’’ a US state department spokeswoman said.
The Islamic State’s declaration comes as the Iraqi Government tries to wrest back some of the territory it has lost to the jihadi group and its Sunni militant allies in recent weeks. On Sunday, Iraqi helicopter gunships struck suspected insurgent positions for a second consecutive day in the northern city of Tikrit, the predominantly Sunni hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi military launched its push to wrest back Tikrit, a hotbed of antipathy toward Iraq’s Shi’ite-led government, on Saturday with a multipronged assault spearheaded by ground troops backed by tanks and helicopters. The insurgents appeared to have repelled the military’s initial push for Tikrit, and remained in control of the city yesterday, but clashes were taking place in the northern neighbourhood of Qadissiyah, two residents reported by phone.
Jawad al-Bolani, a security official in the provincial operation command, said the US was sharing intelligence with Iraq and had played an ‘‘essential’’ role in the Tikrit offensive.
‘‘The Americans are with us and they are an important part in the success we are achieving in and around Tikrit,’’ al-Bolani said.
The US has sent 180 of 300 American troops President Barack Obama promised to help Iraqi forces. The US is also flying manned and unmanned aircraft on reconnaissance missions over Iraq. Iraq’s Government is eager to make progress in Tikrit after weeks of demoralising defeats at the hands of the Islamic State and its Sunni allies.
The militants’ surge across the vast Sunni-dominated areas that stretch from Baghdad north and west to the Syrian and Jordanian borders has thrown Iraq into its deepest crisis since US troops withdrew in December 2011.
More ominously, the insurgent blitz, which prompted Kurdish forces to assert long-held claims over disputed territory, has raised the prospect of Iraq being split in three, along sectarian and ethnic lines. Al-Maliki, a Shi’ite who has been widely accused of monopolising power and alienating Iraq’s Sunni and Kurdish minorities, is under growing pressure to step aside.
But he appears set on a third consecutive term as prime minister after his bloc won the most seats in elections in April.
