ISIL territorial claims

     Areas controlled  (as of 21 October 2015)      Areas under control of Governments or rebels other than ISIL Note: map includes uninhabited areas.

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is an active extremist Islamist rebel group and self-declared Caliphate in the Middle East and North Africa which claims to be a sovereign state, and as such has made announcements of territorial control and aspirations of control. No other nation recognizes ISIL as a state. Its goal is the foundation of an Islamic state and finally, a worldwide caliphate, in accordance with Salafi Islam, by the means of military jihad.

ISIL primarily claimed territory in Syria and Iraq, subdividing each country into multiple wilayah (provinces), largely based on preexisting governance boundaries.[1][2] The first territorial claims by the group outside of Syria and Iraq were announced by its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on 13 November 2014, when he announced new wilayats, or provinces, in Libya (Wilayat al-Barqah, Wilayat al-Tarabulus, and Wilayat al-Fizan), Algeria (Wilayat al-Jazair), Egypt (Wilayat Sinai), Yemen (Wilayat Sanaa), and Saudi Arabia (Wilayat al-Haramayn).[3][4] In 2015, new provinces were also announced in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border (Wilayat Khorasan),[5] Northern Nigeria (Wilayat Gharb Afriqiya),[6] and the North Caucasus (Wilayat al-Qawqaz).[7]

Specific territorial claims

Iraq and Syria

When the Iraq-based insurgent group Mujahideen Shura Council announced it was establishing an Islamic State of Iraq in October 2006, it claimed authority over seven Iraqi provinces: Baghdad, Al Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and parts of Babil.[8]

When the group changed its name to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and expanded into Syria in April 2014, it claimed nine Syrian provinces, covering most of the country and lying largely along existing provincial boundaries: Al Barakah, Al Khayr, Raqqah, Homs, Halab, Idlib, Hamah, Damascus, and Ladhikiyah.[9] It later subdivided the territory under its control to create new provinces of al-Furat,[2][10][11] Fallujah, Dijla and al-Jazeera.[12][13]

Libya

Barqa province logo

ISIL divides Libya into three historical provinces, claiming authority over Barqa (or Cyrenaica) in the east, Fezzan in the desert south, and Tarabulus (or Tripolitania) in the west, around the capital.[14][15]

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 by then controlled part of the city, gathered to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[16][17] They were later expelled from most of this city following clashes with rival militants in mid-2015.[18]

In February 2015, ISIL forces took over parts of the Libyan city of Sirte. In the following months, they used it as a base to capture neighbouring towns including Harawa,[19] and Nofaliya.[20] ISIL put increasing emphasis on controlling Sirte following their losses in Derna.[21][22]

Egypt (Sinai)

Sinai province logo

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.[4] The group has carried out attacks in Sinai.

Saudi Arabia

Al-Baghdadi announced a Wilayah in Saudi Arabia in November 2014, calling for the overthrow of the Saudi Royal Family and criticizing the Kingdom's participation in the US-led coalition against ISIL.[4] The group has carried out attacks in the country under the names of Najd Province and Hejaz Province.[23]

Yemen

ISIL established a Yemeni Wilayah in November 2014, AQAP, the strongest militant group in the country, rejected the announcement.[3][5] The branch's first attack occurred in March 2015, when it carried out suicide bombings on 2 Shia Mosques in the Yemeni capital.[24] As the Yemeni Civil War escalated in March 2015, at least 7 ISIL Wilayat, named after existing provincial boundaries in Yemen, claimed responsibility for attacks against the Houthis, including Hadhramaut Province, Shabwah Province and Sana'a Province.[6]

Algeria

Algeria province logo

Members of Jund al-Khilafah swore allegiance to ISIL in September 2014.[25] ISIL in Algeria gained notoriety when it beheaded French tourist Herve Gourdel in September 2014. Since then, the group has largely been silent, with reports that its leader Khalid Abu-Sulayman was killed by Algerian forces in December 2014.[5]

Afghanistan-Pakistan

Khorasan province logo

In November 2014, Jundallah pledged allegiance to ISIL,[26] giving the organization an active presence in Pakistan. On 29 January 2015, Hafiz Saeed Khan, Abdul Rauf and other militants in the region swore an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Khan was subsequently named as the Wāli (Governor) of a new branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan called Khorasan Province, named after the historical Khorasan region.[27][28][29]

Afghan officials told the BBC that Taliban fighters received support from militants affiliated to ISIL in the 2015 Taliban assault on the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.[30] At the same time, there were reports of Taliban forces clashing with ISIL-affiliated militants in the south of Afghanistan, especially in the Kandahar and Helmand provinces.[31][32][33] Clashes between the two sides in Nangarhar lead to ISIL establishing a foothold in that region at the Taliban's expense.[34]

In August 2015, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, Usman Ghazi, swore allegiance to ISIL and announced that the group should be considered part of Wilayah Khorasan.[35] Further recruits came from members of the Taliban disaffected with their leadership.[34]

Nigeria

On 7 March 2015, Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIL via an audio message posted on the organisation's Twitter account.[36][37] Abu Mohammad al-Adnani welcomed the pledge of allegiance, and described it as an expansion of the group's caliphate to West Africa.[38] ISIL publications from late March 2015 began referring to members of Boko Haram as part of Wilayat Gharb Afriqiya (West Africa Province).[6]

North Caucasus

ISIL militants in Syria had issued a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014: "we will liberate Chechnya and the entire Caucasus, God willing. Your throne has already teetered, it is under threat and will fall when we come to you because Allah is truly on our side."[39] In early 2015, commanders of the militant Caucasus Emirate group in Chechnya and Dagestan announced their defection and pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[40][41] In a June 2015 audio statement posted online, ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani accepted the pledges of allegiance and appointed Abu Muhammad al-Qadari (Rustam Asildarov) as ISIL Governor of a new Caucasus Province. He called on other militants in the region to join with and follow al-Qadari.[7][42]

Europe

A video was released by ISIL, which included Spanish speaking militants saying that they intended to conquer Spain.[43]

On July 10, 2015, ISIL released a video containing a message saying that they intend to conquer the western Balkans, including Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro.[44]

Background

The 5th edition of ISIL's Dabiq magazine explained the group's process for establishing new provinces. Jihadist groups in a given area must consolidate into a unified body and publicly declare their allegiance to al-Baghdadi. The group must nominate a Wāli (Governor), a Shura Council (religious leadership), and formulate a military strategy to consolidate territorial control and implement ISIL’s version of Sharia law. Once formally accepted, ISIL considers the group to be one of its provinces and gives it support.[45][46] Dabiq has acknowledged support in regions including East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Indonesia and the Philippines, and claimed that ISIL would eventually establish wilayat in these areas after forming direct relationships with its supporters there.[46]

Analysis

ISIL Spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has stated that, "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas."[47] ISIL thus rejects the political divisions established by Western powers during World War I in the Sykes–Picot Agreement as it absorbs territory in Syria and Iraq.[48][49][50] The Long War Journal writes that the logical implication is that the group will consider preexisting militant groups like Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) illegitimate if they do not nullify themselves and submit to ISIL's authority.[51]

While branches in Libya and Egypt have been very active and attempted to exercise territorial control, branches in other countries like Algeria and Saudi Arabia have been less active and do not seem to have a strong presence.[5][52]

External links

References

  1. ↑ ISIS Governance in Syria.
  2. 1 2 US Congress. The ISIS Threat: The Rise of the Islamic State and their Dangerous Potential
  3. 1 2 "The Islamic State’s model". The Washington Post. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech". Reuters. We announce to you the expansion of the Islamic State to new countries, to the countries of the Haramayn, Yemen, Egypt, Libya [and] Algeria
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Islamic State builds on al-Qaeda lands". BBC News. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "ISIS Global Intelligence Summary March 1 - May 7, 2015" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 "ISIS Declares Governorate in Russia’s North Caucasus Region". Institute for the Study of War. 23 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Rump Islamic Emirate of Iraq". The Long War Journal. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "ISIS' 'Southern Division' praises foreign suicide bombers". The Long War Journal. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Middle East – تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية يعلن قيام "ولاية الفرات" على أراض سورية وعراقية – فرانس 24". France 24. 31 August 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (10 September 2014). "Islamic State "Euphrates Province" Statement: Translation and Analysis". aymennjawad.org. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "The Islamic State" (PDF). The Soufan Group. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Islamic State Announces Creation of Second New Province in Northern Iraq". SITE Intelligence Group. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Islamic State Sprouting Limbs Beyond Its Base". The New York Times. 14 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  15. ↑ "ISIS atrocity in Libya demonstrates its growing reach in North Africa". CNN. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Libyan city is first outside Syria, Iraq to join ISIS". Haaretz.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  17. ↑ "The Islamic State of Libya Isn’t Much of a State". Foreign Policy. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Libya officials: Jihadis driving IS from eastern stronghold". Associated Press. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  19. ↑ Hassan Morajea (6 June 2015). "Libyan gains may offer ISIS a base for new attacks". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "IS said to have taken another Libyan town". Times of Malta. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  21. ↑ "The Islamic State's Burgeoning Capital in Sirte, Libya". Washington Institute of Near East Policy. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "ISIS shifts to Libya". The Wahington Free Baecon. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  23. ↑ al-Shihri, Abdullah (7 August 2015). "Saudi Arabia mosque bombing that killed 15 claimed by 'new' Islamic State group". The Age. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  24. ↑ "Yemen crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks". BBC News. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Fadel, Leila (18 November 2014). "With Cash And Cachet, The Islamic State Expands Its Empire". NPR.
  26. ↑ "Taliban splinter group in Pakistan vows allegiance to ISIS". al-akhbar. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  27. ↑ "IS announces expansion into AfPak, parts of India". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  28. ↑ "Pakistani Taliban emir for Bajaur joins Islamic State". The Long War Journal.
  29. ↑ "Afghanistan drone strike 'kills IS commander Abdul Rauf'". BBC News.
  30. ↑ "Afghanistan forces defend Kunduz from Taliban". BBC. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  31. ↑ "ISIS reportedly moves into Afghanistan, is even fighting Taliban". 12 January 2015. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  32. ↑ "ISIS, Taliban announced Jihad against each other". Khaama Press. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "Taliban leader: allegiance to ISIS ‘haram’". Rudaw. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  34. 1 2 Lynne O'Donnell (8 September 2015). "Islamic State group loyalists eye a presence in Afghanistan". Associated Press. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  35. ↑ "IMU Declares It Is Now Part Of The Islamic State". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  36. ↑ "Nigeria's Boko Haram pledges allegiance to Islamic State". BBC news (BBC). 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
  37. ↑ Adam Chandler (March 9, 2015). "The Islamic State of Boko Haram? :The terrorist group has pledged its allegiance to ISIS. But what does that really mean?". The Atlantic.
  38. ↑ "IS welcomes Boko Haram allegiance: tape". AFP. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  39. ↑ Tharoor, Ishaan (6 September 2014). "Islamic State militants want to fight Putin". The Washington Post.
  40. ↑ "What Caused the Demise of the Caucasus Emirate?". Jamestown Foundation. 18 June 2015.
  41. ↑ "Caucasus Emirate and Islamic State Split Slows Militant Activities in North Caucasus". Jamestown Foundation. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  42. ↑ "Two North Caucasus Rebel Leaders Face Off in Islamic State–Caucasus Emirate Dispute". The Jamestown Foundation. 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
  43. ↑ "ISIL terrorists want to invade Spain". Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  44. ↑ "ISIL threatened: Look forward, oh Croatia, your democracy will fall (Croatian)". Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  45. ↑ Alessandria Masi (12 March 2015). "How The ISIS Allegiance Application Process Works For Groups Joining The 'Caliphate', Like Boko Haram". International Business Times. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  46. 1 2 Romain Caillet (December 2014). "ISIS’S GLOBAL MESSAGING STRATEGY FACT SHEET" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
  47. ↑ Johnson, M. Alex (3 September 2014). "'Deviant and Pathological': What Do ISIS Extremists Really Want?". NBC News. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  48. ↑ Tran, Mark; Weaver, Matthew (30 June 2014). "Isis announces Islamic caliphate in area straddling Iraq and Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  49. ↑ 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.
  50. ↑ Romain Caillet (27 December 2013). "The Islamic State: Leaving al-Qaeda Behind". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  51. ↑ JOSCELYN, THOMAS. "Analysis: Islamic State snuff videos help to attract more followers". Long War Journal. Long War Journal. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  52. ↑ "The Islamic State's Archipelago of Provinces". Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
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