Islamic State (ISIS / ISIL / Da'esh)

Overview

The Islamic State, variously referred to as ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) or Da'esh (from its Arabic acronym), is a Salafi-jihadist organisation that grew from the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Its immediate predecessor was al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until his death in a US airstrike in 2006. The group underwent several rebranding cycles before Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate from the pulpit of the Grand Mosque in Mosul on 29 June 2014, asserting religious and political authority over all Muslims worldwide.

At its territorial peak in 2014 and 2015, the organisation controlled an area roughly the size of the United Kingdom spanning eastern Syria and western Iraq, governing a population of several million people. It administered territory, collected taxes, issued passports and ran courts. This degree of state-like capacity distinguished it from previous jihadist organisations and gave its propaganda powerful appeal globally.

Operational History

The Islamic State's origins trace to the period following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when AQI under Zarqawi became a leading force in the Sunni insurgency. After Zarqawi's death, successor organisations merged into the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006. The organisation was significantly degraded by the US troop surge of 2007 and subsequent Sahwa (Awakening) tribal movement but reconstituted itself during the Syrian civil war that began in 2011, crossing into Syria and seizing resources and recruits.

The caliphate proclamation of June 2014 was followed by rapid territorial expansion. The fall of Mosul to Islamic State forces in June 2014 prompted a US-led international coalition to begin airstrikes in August 2014. The battle for Kobane in 2014 to 2015 marked the beginning of the territorial rollback. Mosul was retaken by Iraqi forces in July 2017 after a protracted urban battle. Raqqa, the group's Syrian capital, fell to US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in October 2017. The last territorial enclave at Baghouz fell in March 2019.

During its territorial peak the organisation directed and inspired attacks across Europe and beyond. The Paris attacks of 13 November 2015 killed 130 people in coordinated shootings and bombings at multiple venues. Attacks in Brussels in March 2016, Nice in July 2016 and Manchester in May 2017 were among dozens of operations attributed to the group or its supporters. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a US special operations raid in northwestern Syria in October 2019.

The Islamic State's campaign against the Yazidi religious minority in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq in August 2014 involved mass killings, the enslavement of women and girls, and the forced displacement of communities. A UN Commission of Inquiry found in 2016 that these acts constituted genocide. The organisation subsequently established a global network of affiliated provinces (wilayat) in West Africa (ISWAP), Central Asia (Khorasan), Sinai, Libya and elsewhere that continue to carry out attacks.

Ideology

The Islamic State's ideology draws on an extreme interpretation of Salafi texts combined with the strategic literature of jihadist theorists such as Abu Musab al-Suri. It differs from al-Qaeda primarily in its insistence on immediate state-building and governance rather than a phased strategy, and in its willingness to declare takfir (apostasy) against other Muslims, including Shia, Sunni scholars who disagree with it and rival jihadist groups. Al-Baghdadi's claim to the caliphate was doctrinally significant, asserting that he was the legitimate heir of the Prophet's political authority.

The organisation invested heavily in multilingual media production, including the online magazine Dabiq and later Rumiyah, which were designed to recruit foreign fighters and inspire independent attacks in Western countries. This combination of territorial governance and sophisticated propaganda distinguished its appeal during the peak years.

Designation Status

The organisation's predecessor entity was listed by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2004 under the name al-Qaeda in Iraq. The UN Security Council listing under the 1267/2253 sanctions regime similarly originated from 2004. Following the caliphate proclamation, most jurisdictions updated their designations to capture the expanded entity under its various names. The organisation and its affiliates remain subject to UN sanctions, US FTO designation and equivalent measures across dozens of states. The ISWAP affiliate is separately listed by the UN Security Council.