View source for Religion:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

{{Short description|Salafi jihadist terrorist and militant group}}
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<!-- Please see Talk:Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant#RfC: infobox country? before changing infobox type. -->
{{Infobox war faction
| name = Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
| anthem  =  ''Dawlat al-Islam Qamat'' ("My [[Religion:Ummah|Ummah]] (community), Dawn Has Appeared")<ref>{{Cite news|last=Gardner|first=Simon R.|date=31 December 2014|title=The Islamic State Produced the Most Influential Song of the Year|work=The New Republic|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/120665/islamic-states-dawlat-al-islam-qamat-most-influential-song-2014|access-date=6 July 2021|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=4 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404011316/https://newrepublic.com/article/120665/islamic-states-dawlat-al-islam-qamat-most-influential-song-2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Marshall|first=Alex|date=9 November 2014|title=How Isis got its anthem|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/nasheed-how-isis-got-its-anthem|access-date=6 July 2021|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=29 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829004843/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/nasheed-how-isis-got-its-anthem|url-status=dead}}</ref> 
| native_name = {{rtl-lang|ar|الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام}}<br />''{{transl|ar|ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām}}''
| war = the Iraq War (2003–2011), the Iraqi insurgency, the Syrian Civil War, the Iraqi Civil War, the Second Libyan Civil War, the Boko Haram insurgency, the [[Social:War in North-West Pakistan|War in North-West Pakistan]], the War in Afghanistan, the [[Social:Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|Yemeni Civil War]], and other conflicts
----
Primary target of Operation Inherent Resolve and of the military intervention against ISIL in Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Nigeria<!-- for wikilinks, if diff from name -->
|image = {{multiple image
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 | image1 = AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg{{!}}border
 | caption1 = [[Religion:Jihadist flag|Flag]]<ref>{{cite news |first=Kashmira |last=Gander |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-flag-what-do-the-words-mean-and-what-are-its-origins-10369601.html |title=Isis flag: What do the words mean and what are its origins? |date=7 July 2015 |work=The Independent}}</ref>
 | image2 = ISIL_Caliphate_Seal.svg
 | caption2 = Emblem<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jihadology.net/2019/01/29/new-video-message-from-the-islamic-state-fulfilling-the-promise-wilayat-al-iraq-kirkuk/|title=New video message from The Islamic State: "Fulfilling the Promise – Wilāyat al-'Irāq, Kirkūk"|first=Aaron Y. |last=Zelin |date=29 January 2019 |website=Jihadology.net}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Statement of ISIS – The Battle of Brussels |url=https://www.investigativeproject.org/pics/large/1419.jpg |website=The Investigative Project on Terrorism
 |language=ar}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=ISIS ID Card |website=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://gdb.rferl.org/F1E739AA-4842-4754-8677-646B1D017501_w1023_r1_s.jpg |language=ar}}</ref>
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|caption =
|active = {{Collapsible list | title = 1999–present
| 1 = 1999: Established under the name of Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
| 2 = October 2004: Joined [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]]
| 3 = 13 October 2006: Declaration of an [[Religion:Islamic state|Islamic state]] in Iraq
| 4 = 8 April 2013: Claim of territory in the [[Place:Levant|Levant]]
| 5 = 3 February 2014:<ref name=ReutersHolmes_030214>{{cite news |last=Holmes |first=Oliver |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-qaeda-idUSBREA120NS20140203 |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}} |title=Al Qaeda breaks link with Syrian militant group ISIL |date=3 February 2014}}</ref> Separated from [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]]:<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Pool |first1=Jeffrey |title=Zarqawi's Pledge of Allegiance to Al-Qaeda: From Mu'Asker Al-Battar, Issue 21 |magazine=Terrorism Monitor |date=16 December 2004 |volume=2 |issue=24 |publisher=Jamestown Foundation |url=https://jamestown.org/program/zarqawis-pledge-of-allegiance-to-al-qaeda-from-muasker-al-battar-issue-21-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180847/http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=400&issue_id=3179&article_id=2369020 |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=live}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26016318 |title=Al-Qaeda disavows ISIS militants in Syria |publisher=BBC News |date=3 February 2014}}</ref>
| 6 = 29 June 2014: Declaration of [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]]
| 7 = 13 November 2014: Claim of territory in Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
| 8 = 29 January 2015: Claim of territory in South Asia<ref>{{cite news |first=Rezaul H. |last=Laskar |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/is-announces-expansion-into-afpak-parts-of-india/article1-1311533.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129054615/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/is-announces-expansion-into-afpak-parts-of-india/article1-1311533.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 January 2015 |title=IS announces expansion into AfPak, parts of India |work=Hindustan Times |date=29 January 2015}}</ref>
| 9 = 12 March 2015: Claim of territory in Nigeria<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/07/africa/nigeria-boko-haram-isis/ |title=Boko Haram purportedly pledges allegiance to ISIS |first1=Nima |last1=Elbagir |first2=Paul |last2=Cruickshank |first3=Mohammed |last3=Tawfeeq |date=7 March 2015 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>
| 10 = 23 June 2015: Claim of territory in North Caucasus<ref>{{cite web |first=Harleen |last=Gambhir |url=http://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/isis-declares-governorate-russia%E2%80%99s-north-caucasus-region |title=ISIS Declares Governorate in Russia's North Caucasus Region |date=23 June 2015 |publisher=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref>
| 11 = 20 July 2017: Recapture of [[Place:Mosul|Mosul]] by Iraqi forces
| 12 = 17 October 2017: Capture of [[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]] by SDF forces
| 13 = 23 March 2019: Loses all of its territory in Syria
| 14 = 27 October 2019: Killing of Baghdadi
}}
|ideology =
{{plainlist|
* [[Religion:Qutbism|Qutbism]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Sayyid Qutb: Father of Salafi Jihadism, Forerunner of the Islamic State
 |url= https://www.abc.net.au/religion/sayyid-qutb-father-of-salafi-jihadism-forerunner-of-the-islamic-/10096380 |date=7 November 2016 |work=ABC Religion & Ethics |publisher=ABC Online |first=Robert |last=Manne |archive-date=2 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002133334/http://www.abc.net.au/religion/sayyid-qutb-father-of-salafi-jihadism-forerunner-of-the-islamic-/10096380 |url-status=live}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=The mind of Islamic State: more coherent and consistent than Nazism |url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/the-mind-of-islamic-state-more-coherent-and-consistent-than-nazism |website=The Guardian |date=3 November 2016 |isbn=978-1-906603-98-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128181058/https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/the-mind-of-islamic-state-more-coherent-and-consistent-than-nazism |archive-date=28 January 2017 |last1=Saltman |first1=Erin Marie }}</ref>
* [[Religion:Wahhabism|Wahhabism]]<ref name=Quilliam2014>{{cite report |first1=Erin Marie |last1=Saltman |first2=Charlie |last2=Winter |title=Islamic State: The Changing Face of Modern Jihadism |url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/islamic-state-the-changing-face-of-modern-jihadism.pdf |publisher=Quilliam |date=November 2014 |isbn=978-1-906603-98-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226115714/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/islamic-state-the-changing-face-of-modern-jihadism.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bunzel">{{cite journal |last=Bunzel |first=Cole |date=March 2015 |url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |title=From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State |journal=The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World |volume=19 |pages=1–48 |publisher=Center for Middle East Policy (Brookings Institution) |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321022758/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="what-isis-really-wants">{{cite magazine |last=Wood |first=Graeme |title=What ISIS Really Wants |magazine=The Atlantic |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216095910/https://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ |archive-date=16 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=HuffPost_Wahhabi>{{cite news |last=Crooke |first=Alastair |author-link=Alastair Crooke |orig-year=27 August 2014 |date=30 March 2017 |title=You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/isis-wahhabism-saudi-arabia_b_5717157.html |work=The Huffington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140828141900/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/isis-wahhabism-saudi-arabia_b_5717157.html |archive-date=28 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Religion:Salafi jihadism|Salafi jihadism]]<ref name=Quilliam2014>{{cite report |first1=Erin Marie |last1=Saltman |first2=Charlie |last2=Winter |title=Islamic State: The Changing Face of Modern Jihadism |url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/islamic-state-the-changing-face-of-modern-jihadism.pdf |publisher=Quilliam |date=November 2014 |isbn=978-1-906603-98-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226115714/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/islamic-state-the-changing-face-of-modern-jihadism.pdf |archive-date=26 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Bunzel">{{cite journal |last=Bunzel |first=Cole |date=March 2015 |url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |title=From Paper State to Caliphate: The Ideology of the Islamic State |journal=The Brookings Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World |volume=19 |pages=1–48 |publisher=Center for Middle East Policy (Brookings Institution) |location=Washington, D.C. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321022758/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Papers/2015/03/ideology-of-islamic-state-bunzel/The-ideology-of-the-Islamic-State.pdf?la=en |archive-date=21 March 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=13 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="what-isis-really-wants">{{cite magazine |last=Wood |first=Graeme |title=What ISIS Really Wants |magazine=The Atlantic |date=March 2015 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216095910/https://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/ |archive-date=16 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=HuffPost_Wahhabi>{{cite news |last=Crooke |first=Alastair |author-link=Alastair Crooke |orig-year=27 August 2014 |date=30 March 2017 |title=You Can't Understand ISIS If You Don't Know the History of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/isis-wahhabism-saudi-arabia_b_5717157.html |work=The Huffington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140828141900/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/isis-wahhabism-saudi-arabia_b_5717157.html |archive-date=28 August 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* Anti-Shi'ism<ref>{{cite thesis |last=Ghasemi |first=Faezeh |date=2020 |title=Anti-Shiism Discourse |publisher=[[Organization:University of Tehran|University of Tehran]] |type=PhD |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342697889}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite journal |first=Daniel |last=Rickenbacher |title=The Centrality of Anti-Semitism in the Islamic State's Ideology and Its Connection to Anti-Shiism |journal=Religions |date=2019 |volume=10|issue=8 |pages=483–492 |doi=10.3390/rel10080483|doi-access=free }}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite journal |first=Faezeh |last=Ghasemi |title=Anti-Shiite and Anti-Iranian Discourses in ISIS Texts |journal=Discourse |volume=11 |issue=3 |date=2017 |pages=75–96 |url=https://www.magiran.com/paper/1713990}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |first=Toby |last=Matthiesen |title=The Islamic State Exploits Entrenched Anti-Shia Incitement |date=21 July 2015 |work=Sada |publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/?fa=60799}}</ref>
* [[Religion:Persecution of Christians by ISIL|Anti-Christian sentiment]]<ref>{{cite web |title=From Cairo to Berlin: Why is ISIS Targeting Christians?|url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/from-cairo-to-berlin-why-is-isis-targeting-christians|first=Muhammad|last=Soliman |work=Fikra Forum |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy |date=20 March 2017}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-uses-these-parts-in-quran-to-justify-anti-christian-violence-2014-7|title=Here Are The Parts Of The Quran That ISIS Uses To Justify Violence Against Iraqi Christians |date=25 July 2014 |first=Hicham Bou |last=Nassif |publisher=Business Insider}}</ref>
* Anti-LGBT sentiment<ref>{{cite web |title=Anti-Gay Rhetoric in English-Language ISIS and Al Qaeda Magazines |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |date=15 June 2016 |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/anti-gay-rhetoric-in-english-language-isis-and-al-qaeda-magazines}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=ISIS's Persecution of Gay People |website=Counter Extremism Project |date=May 2017 |url=https://www.counterextremism.com/content/isis-persecution-gay-people |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023103356/https://www.counterextremism.com/content/isis-persecution-gay-people |archive-date=23 October 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Islamic State's shocking war on homosexuals |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/the-islamic-states-shocking-war-on-homosexuals/ |website=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217131006/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/the-islamic-states-shocking-war-on-homosexuals/ |archive-date=17 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=What ISIS Is Saying About the Orlando Shooter |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vdbke8/what-isis-is-saying-about-the-orlando-shooter |website=Vice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108141201/https://www.vice.com/en/article/vdbke8/what-isis-is-saying-about-the-orlando-shooter |archive-date=8 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ISIS targets gay people using Facebook and phone contacts |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/2184492/isis-targets-gay-people-using-facebook-and-phone-contacts-iraqi-refugee-tells-un/ |website=Global News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219033530/https://globalnews.ca/news/2184492/isis-targets-gay-people-using-facebook-and-phone-contacts-iraqi-refugee-tells-un/ |archive-date=19 December 2020}}</ref>
* Antisemitism<ref name="ADL 13 March 2015">{{cite web |title=Under Attack, ISIS Threatens Jews and Israel |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |date=13 March 2015 |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/under-attack-isis-threatens-jews-and-israel}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=ISIS Promotes Murdering Jews in New Online Campaign |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |date=20 October 2015 |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-promotes-murdering-jews-in-new-online-campaign |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023103947/https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-promotes-murdering-jews-in-new-online-campaign |archive-date=23 October 2020}}</ref>
* [[Social:Anti-Zionism|Anti-Zionism]]<ref name="ADL 13 March 2015"/><ref>{{cite web |title=ISIS Weighs In On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict |date=11 July 2014 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/isis-weighs-in-on-israeli-palestinian-conflict}}</ref>
}}
|clans= {{plainlist|
* Algerian Province
* Caucasus Province
* Central Africa Province
* East Asia Province
* Gaza Province
* Greater Sahara Province
* Khorasan Province
* Libyan Province
* Sinai Province
* Somalia Province
* West Africa Province
* Yemen Province
}}
|founder = Abu Musab al-Zarqawi{{KIA}}<ref>{{Cite news |first=Jason M. |last=Breslow |title=Who Was the Founder of ISIS? |date=17 May 2016 |work=Frontline|publisher=PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/who-was-the-founder-of-isis/}}</ref>
|leaders = {{plainlist|
* '''Leader<!-- e.g. "Chair", "President", etc. but not Caliph -->:''' Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-confirmation/islamic-state-confirms-baghdadi-is-dead-appoints-successor-idUSKBN1XA25A |title=Islamic State confirms Baghdadi is dead, appoints successor |publisher=Reuters |date=31 October 2019}}</ref>
* '''Former leader:''' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rubin |first1=Alissa J. |title=Militant Leader in Rare Appearance in Iraq |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/06/world/asia/iraq-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-sermon-video.html |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=5 July 2014}}</ref>
* '''Deputy leader in Iraq:''' Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi<ref name="Al-Tamimi's Blog">{{cite web |url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/2016/01/an-account-of-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-islamic-state |title=An Account of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi & Islamic State Succession Lines |first=Aymenn Jawad |last=Al-Tamimi |work=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi's Blog |date=24 January 2016}}</ref>
* '''Deputy leader in Syria:''' Abu Ali al-Anbari{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli |url=https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/abd_al_qaduli.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518171235/https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/abd_al_qaduli.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 May 2015 |website=Rewards for Justice |publisher=United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security |date=5 May 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Schmidt |first=Michael |title=A Top ISIS Leader Is Killed in an Airstrike, the Pentagon Says |work=The New York Times |date=25 March 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/26/world/middleeast/abd-al-rahman-mustafa-al-qaduli-isis-reported-killed-in-syria.html}}</ref>
* '''Deputy leader in Libya:''' Abdul Qader al-Najdi{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/new-isis-leader-abdel-qader-al-najdi-threatens-daesh-invasion-rome-through-north-africa-1548697 |title=New Isis leader in Libya – Abdel Qader al-Najdi threatens Daesh invasion of Rome through Africa |first=Callum |last=Paton |date=10 March 2016 |access-date=9 April 2021 |work=IB Times}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security/eastern-libyan-forces-say-they-killed-islamic-state-leader-idUSKCN26E3BW? |title=Eastern Libyan forces say they killed Islamic State leader |publisher=Reuters |date=23 September 2020}}</ref>
* '''Military chief:''' Abu Saleh al-Obaidi{{r|Al-Tamimi's Blog}}
* '''Head of the Shura Council:''' Abu Arkan al-Ameri<ref>{{cite news |title=ISIS Leadership |url=http://apps.frontline.org/isis-leadership/ |access-date=14 August 2015 |work=Frontline|publisher=PBS |year=2015}}</ref>
* '''Chief spokesperson:''' Abu Mohammad al-Adnani{{KIA}}{{r|Chulov310816}}<ref name=brookings2014>{{cite web |year=2014 |first=Charles |last=Lister |title=Islamic State Senior Leadership: Who's Who |publisher=Brookings Institution |url=http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Reports/2014/11/profiling-islamic-state-lister/en_whos_who.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328114112/http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Research/Files/Reports/2014/11/profiling-islamic-state-lister/en_whos_who.pdf |archive-date=28 March 2016}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |date=29 June 2014 |title=Here's What We Know About the 'Caliph' of the New Islamic State |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-we-know-about-the-caliph-of-the-new-islamic-state-2014-6 |agency=AFP |work=Business Insider}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |date=29 June 2014 |title=ISIS Spokesman Declares Caliphate, Rebrands Group as Islamic State |work=Jihadist News |publisher=SITE Intelligence Group |url=http://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/isis-spokesman-declares-caliphate-rebrands-group-as-islamic-state.html}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |date=12 September 2016 |title=Pentagon Confirms U.S. Strike in Syria Killed ISIL Leader |work=DoD News |publisher=United States Department of Defense |url=http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/941787/pentagon-confirms-US-strike-in-Syria-killed-isil-leader}}</ref>
* '''Chief of Syrian military operations:''' Abu Omar al-Shishani{{KIA}}{{r|brookings2014}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Chad |last=Garland |date=14 July 2016 |title=Islamic State says top commander is dead; Pentagon unsure |work=Stars and Stripes |url=http://www.stripes.com/news/islamic-state-says-top-commander-is-dead-pentagon-unsure-1.419088}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Will |last=Worley |date=13 July 2016 |title=Isis confirms death of hugely popular 'minister of war' Omar al-Shishani |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-confirms-death-of-hugely-popular-minister-of-war-omar-al-shishani-a7135446.html}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Starr |first=Barbara |date=15 March 2016 |title=U.S. assesses ISIS operative Omar al-Shishani is dead |publisher=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/14/politics/u-s-confirms-death-of-isis-operative-omar-al-shishani/index.html}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Tarkhan Tayumurazovich Batirashvili |url=https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/tarkhan_batirashvili.html |website=Rewards for Justice |publisher=U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security |date=5 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518171047/https://www.rewardsforjustice.net/english/tarkhan_batirashvili.html |archive-date=18 May 2015}}</ref>
* '''Minister of War:''' Gulmurod Khalimov{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news |date=6 September 2016 |title=Isis: US-trained Tajik special forces chief Gulmurod Khalimov becomes Isis 'war minister' |work=International Business Times |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-us-trained-tajik-special-forces-chief-gulmurod-khalimov-becomes-isis-war-minister-1579966}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/minister-war-killed-syria-air-attack-says-russia-1141444390 |title=IS 'minister of war' killed in Syria air attack, claims Russia |work=Middle East Eye |date=8 September 2017 |access-date=24 June 2021}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Gulmurod Khalimov |url=https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/gulmurod_khalimov.html |work=Rewards for Justice |access-date=24 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421113857/https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/gulmurod_khalimov.html |archive-date=21 April 2021}}</ref>
* '''Minister of Finance:''' Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jaburi<ref>{{cite web |title=Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jaburi |url=https://rewardsforjustice.net/english/sami_al_jaburi.html |website=Rewards for Justice |publisher=Rewards for Justice |access-date=24 January 2021}}</ref>
* '''Minister of Information:''' Abu Muhammad al-Furqan{{KIA}}<ref>{{cite news |title=IS confirms death of propaganda chief Abu Mohammed al-Furqan - BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37619225  |publisher=Bbc.com |date=2016-10-11 |accessdate=2021-06-16}}</ref>
* '''Spokesman:''' Abu Hamza al-Qurashi<ref>{{cite news |author=<!-- staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title= Islamic State group names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi|publisher=BBC News|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50254785|date= 31 October 2019|access-date= 1 November 2019}}</ref>
}}
|headquarters = {{plainlist|
* [[Place:Baqubah|Baqubah]], Iraq (2006–2007)
* ''No central headquarters'' (2007–2013)
* [[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]], Syria (2013–2017)
* Mayadin, Syria (June–October 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/141020174|title=Syrian army captures Mayadin from ISIS near Deir ez-Zor|publisher=Rudaw|date=14 October 2017}}</ref>
* [[Place:Al-Qa'im (town)|Al-Qa'im]], Iraq (October–November 2017)<ref>{{cite web |first1=Sarah |last1=Benhaida |first2=Ahmad |last2=al-Rubaye |date=26 October 2017 |title=Iraq forces launch 'last big fight' against IS |publisher=Rudaw |url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/26102017}}</ref>
* Abu Kamal, Syria (November 2017)<ref>{{cite news |date=4 November 2017 |title=Anti-IS forces converge on Syria border town|agency=Agence France-Presse |via=Yahoo News |url=https://sg.news.yahoo.com/anti-forces-converge-syria-border-town-113315169.html}}</ref>
* Hajin, Syria (November 2017 – December 2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.difesaesicurezza.com/en/defence/syria-the-isis-pockets-of-resistance-at-deir-ezzor-are-reduced-to-two/|title=Syria, the Isis pockets of resistance at Deir Ezzor are reduced to two|first=Francesco |last=Bussoletti|publisher=Difesa & Sicurezza|date=29 June 2018}}</ref>
* Al-Susah, Syria (December 2018 – January 2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-sdf-captures-daeshs-de-facto-capital-in-syria/|title=Breaking: SDF captures Daesh's de facto capital in Syria|first=Leith|last=Aboufadel|date=13 December 2018}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/us-backed-fighters-seize-east-syria-village-from-isis-1.813894|title=US-backed fighters seize east Syria village from ISIS|website=The National}}</ref>
* Al-Marashidah, Syria (January–February 2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isils-reign-over-eastern-euphrates-nearing-its-end-map/|title=ISIL's reign over eastern Euphrates nearing its end – map|first=Leith |last=Aboufadel|publisher=Al-Masdar News|date=24 January 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/24/world/middleeast/isis-syria-last-territory.html|title=Down to Its Last 2 Villages in Syria, ISIS Still Fights Back|first=Rukmini |last=Callimachi|work=The New York Times |date=24 January 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-squeezed-into-last-areas-as-sdf-troops-capture-2-villages-east-of-the-euphrates-mapto/|title=ISIS squeezed into last areas as SDF troops capture 2 villages east of the Euphrates (MAP)|first=Leith |last=Aboufadel|publisher=Al-Masdar News|date=7 February 2019}}</ref>
* Al-Baghuz Fawqani, Syria (February–March 2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/us-backed-fighters-launch-final-push-to-defeat-is-in-syria/4779930.html|title=US-backed Fighters Launch Final Push to Defeat IS in Syria |first=Rikar |last=Hussein |publisher=Voice of America |date=9 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="battleover">{{cite news|work={{wipe|The Washington Post}}|date=23 March 2019|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-backed-syrian-force-declares-victory-over-islamic-state/2019/03/23/fc0eb35c-4d34-11e9-8cfc-2c5d0999c21e_story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323113725/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-backed-syrian-force-declares-victory-over-islamic-state/2019/03/23/fc0eb35c-4d34-11e9-8cfc-2c5d0999c21e_story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2019|title=US-allied Syrian force declares victory over Islamic State}}</ref>
* ''Unknown headquarters'' (March 2019 – present)}}
|area = [[File:Territoires de l'Etat islamique juin 2015.png|230px]]<br />ISIL's territory, in grey, at the time of its greatest territorial extent (May 2015).<ref name="nytimes 2015-05-15">{{cite news |last1=Fairfield |first1=Hannah |last2=Wallace |first2=Tim |last3=Watkins |first3=Derek |title=How ISIS Expands |work=The New York Times |date=21 May 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/21/world/middleeast/how-isis-expands.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523191807/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/21/world/middleeast/how-isis-expands.html |archive-date=23 May 2015 |url-status=live |access-date=15 September 2020}}</ref><div style="text-align: left;">
{{Collapsible list
| title = Map legend
 | 1 = {{legend|#b4b2ae|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant}}
 | 2 = {{legend|#db8ca6|Iraqi government}}
 | 3 = {{legend|#ebc0b3|Syrian government}}
 | 4 = {{legend|#ffa067|Lebanese government}}
 | 5 = {{legend|#D2CD7E|[[Place:Iraqi Kurdistan|Iraqi Kurdistan]] forces}}
 | 6 = {{legend|#e2d974|[[Place:Rojava|Syrian Kurdistan forces]]}}
 | 7 = {{legend|#caffc4|Syrian opposition forces}}
 | 8 = {{legend|#80c490|Turkish Armed Forces}}
 | 9 = {{legend|#ffffff|[[Religion:Tahrir al-Sham|Tahrir al-Sham]] (HTS)}}
 | 10 = {{legend|#3e79ff|Hezbollah}}
 | 11 = '''Note:''' Iraq and Syria contain large desert areas with sparse populations. These areas are mapped as under the control of forces holding roads and towns within them.
}}</div>
{{Collapsible list
| title = Detailed current maps
 | 1 = Detailed map of the Syrian, Iraqi, and Lebanese conflicts
 | 2 = Detailed map of the Libyan Civil War
 | 3 = Detailed map of the Sinai insurgency
 | 4 = Detailed map of the Nigerian insurgency
 | 5 = Detailed map of the Yemeni Civil War
 | 6 = Detailed map of the Taliban insurgency
 | 7 = Detailed map of the Insurgency in Mozambique
 | 8 = Detailed map of the Somali Civil War
}}
|size =
{{Collapsible list| title = List of combatant numbers
|Inside Syria and Iraq: {{plainlist|
* 200,000<ref name=Indep161114>{{cite news|last1=Cockburn |first1=Patrick|date=16 November 2014|title=War with Isis: Islamic militants have army of 200,000, claims senior Kurdish leader|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/war-with-isis-islamic-militants-have-army-of-200000-claims-kurdish-leader-9863418.html}}</ref><ref name="how many">{{cite web|title=How many Fighters Does the Islamic State Really Have?|first=Daveed|last=Gartenstein-Ross-ROSS|date=9 February 2015|publisher=War on the Rocks|url=https://warontherocks.com/2015/02/how-many-fighters-does-the-islamic-state-really-have}}</ref> <small>(2015 claim by [[Place:Iraqi Kurdistan|Iraqi Kurdistan]] Chief of Staff)</small>
* 100,000{{r|secret of Baghdadi's success|how many}} <small>(2015 Jihadist claim)</small>
* 28,600–31,600<ref>{{cite web|title=Operation Inherent Resolve and other overseas contingency operations |url=https://media.defense.gov/2019/Feb/05/2002086500/-1/-1/1/FY2019_LIG_OIRREPORT.PDF|publisher=US Department of Defense|date=31 December 2018}}</ref> <small>(2016 US Defense Department estimate)</small>
* 35,000–100,000<ref>{{cite web|title=Briefing With Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS Ambassador James Jeffrey |url=https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2019/03/290654.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507104644/https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2019/03/290654.htm |archive-date=7 May 2019|url-status=dead |website=state.gov|access-date=11 May 2019}}</ref> <small>(US State Department estimate)</small>}}
|Outside Syria and Iraq: 32,600–57,900 (See Military activity of ISIL for more detailed estimates.)
|Estimated total: 61,200–257,900}}{{Collapsible list| title = Civilian population |In 2015 (near max extent): 8–12 million<ref name="by the numbers">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2017-12-27/isis-by-the-numbers-in-2017|title=ISIS By the Numbers in 2017|first=Paul D. |last=Shinkman|work=U.S. News & World Report |date=27 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="rolling back">{{cite document|url=https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1912.html|title=Rolling Back the Islamic State|first1=Seth G. |last1=Jones|first2=James |last2=Dobbins|first3=Daniel |last3=Byman|first4=Christopher S. |last4=Chivvis|first5=Ben |last5=Connable|first6=Jeffrey |last6=Martini|first7=Eric |last7=Robinson|first8=Nathan |last8=Chandler|display-authors=3|publisher=[[Organization:RAND Corporation|RAND Corporation]]|date=2017|access-date=1 April 2019}}</ref>}}
|predecessor = {{flagicon image|Flag of JTJ.svg}} Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (1999)<ref name="winepJune14">{{cite report |first=Aaron Y. |last=Zelin |date=June 2014 |title=The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement |work=Research Notes |volume=20 |publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy |url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/ResearchNote_20_Zelin.pdf}}</ref>
| allies = See section
| opponents = '''State opponents'''
* {{flag|Canada}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Operation IMPACT|url=http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/operations-abroad-current/op-impact.page|website=National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces|date=19 August 2014|access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Iran}}
* {{flagcountry|Iraq}}
* {{flagcountry|Jordan}}<ref name=elpais>{{cite news |url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2015/11/25/mexico/1448469984_093088.html |title=México aparece entre los países amenazados por el ISIS |trans-title=Mexico appears among the countries threatened by ISIS|date=25 November 2015 |newspaper=El País |publisher=Prisa |language=es}}</ref>
* {{flagcountry|Lebanon}}
* {{flagcountry|Libya}}
* {{flagcountry|Mozambique}}
* {{flag|Nigeria}}
* {{flagcountry|Russia}}
* {{flagcountry|Saudi Arabia}}
* {{flagcountry|Syria}}
* {{flagcountry|Turkey}}
* {{flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}}{{r|elpais}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_Europe.svg}} [[Social:European Union|European Union]]
* {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
* {{flagcountry|United States}}
* {{flagcountry|Yemen}}
{{collapsible list|title=Many others
|{{flagcountry|Afghanistan}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thenational.ae/world/asia/isis-targets-taliban-in-fight-for-afghanistan-1.750512 |title=ISIS targets Taliban in fight for Afghanistan |first1=Ben |last1=Farmer |first2=Saleem |last2=Mehsud |date=15 July 2018 |newspaper=Thenational.ae}}</ref>
|''{{flag|Abkhazia}}''
|{{flagcountry|Albania}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flag|Algeria}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/algeria-symbolic-target-isil-151224080709968.html |title=Algeria a 'symbolic target' for ISIL |first=Djamila Ould |last=Khettab |date=30 December 2015 |publisher=[[Engineering:Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref>
|{{flag|Armenia}}
|''{{flag|Artsakh}}''
|{{flag|Azerbaijan}}
|{{flagcountry|Australia}}<ref>{{cite web|title=OKRA Home|url=http://www.defence.gov.au/Operations/Okra/default.asp|website=Global Operations|publisher=Department of Defense – Government of Australia|access-date=25 October 2017}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Austria}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Bahrain}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flag|Bangladesh}}
|{{flag|Belgium}}
|{{flag|Benin}}
|{{flag|Bolivia}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Porter |title=Isis Use Picture of \'Cyclops Baby\' to Recruit Fighters for Apocalyptic Battle |work=International Business Times |date=13 September 2014 |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-use-picture-cyclops-baby-recruit-fighters-apocalyptic-battle-1465323}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Joel |last=Stonington |title=Is This Cyclops Baby the Muslim Antichrist? |work=Vocativ |date=9 September 2014 |url=https://www.vocativ.com/tech/internet/cyclops-baby-muslim-antichrist-much/index.html}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}{{r|elpais}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Bosnia donates 550 tonnes of arms to Iraq, more may follow: minister |publisher=Reuters |date=16 March 2015 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-bosnia-idUSKBN0MC1EJ20150316}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Brazil}}<ref>{{cite news |first1=Simon |last1=Romero |first2=Michael |last2=Schmidt |title=As ISIS Posts in Portuguese, U.S. and Brazil Bolster Olympics Security |work=The New York Times |date=1 August 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/world/americas/rio-de-janeiro-olympics-terrorism-brazil.html}}</ref>
|{{flag|Cameroon}}
|{{flag|Chad}}
|{{flag|China}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Samuel |last=Osbourne |title=Isis threatens China and vows to 'shed blood like rivers' |work=The Independent |date=1 March 2017|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-china-threaten-terror-attack-muslim-islamist-group-islamic-state-a7606211.html}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
|{{flagcountry|Croatia}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Czech Republic}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flag|Denmark}}
|{{flag|Djibouti}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethiopian authorities say Al-Shabaab, Islamic State planning attacks on hotels |work=Africanews |date=23 September 2019 |url=https://www.africanews.com/2019/09/23/ethiopia-army-arrests-islamic-state-members-recruiting-arming-locals/}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Egypt}}
|{{flagcountry|Estonia}}
|{{flagcountry|Finland}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|France}}
|{{flag|Georgia}}
|{{flagcountry|Germany}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Germany to strip dual-nationals who fight for Isis of citizenship |work=[[Social:Financial Times|Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/1c929f90-3e6b-11e9-9bee-efab61506f44 |url-access=subscription}} </ref>
|{{flagcountry|Greece}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://greece.greekreporter.com/2014/09/25/greece-brings-war-against-the-islamic-state/|title=Greece Brings War Against the Islamic State|first=Nikoleta |last=Kalmouki|date=25 September 2014}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Hungary}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|India}}
|{{flagcountry|Indonesia}}
|{{flagcountry|Ireland}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Israel}}
|{{flagcountry|Italy}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.corriere.it/esteri/15_ottobre_05/italia-bombardera-l-isis-iraq-61fd0934-6ba2-11e5-9423-d78dd1862fd7.shtml|title=L'Italia pronta a bombardare Isis in Iraq. La Difesa: ipotesi da valutare|date=6 October 2015|website=Corriere della Sera}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Japan}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Almaz |last=Kumenov |title=Kazakhstan evacuates citizens from Syria, arrests some
 |date=14 May 2019 |publisher=Eurasianet |url=https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-evacuates-citizens-from-syria-arrests-some}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|North Korea}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Pro-Isis hackers attack North Korean airline Facebook page |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |date=14 January 2015 |agency=AFP |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/14/isis-hackers-north-korean-airline-facebook}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|South Korea}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Kosovo}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Joanna |last=Paraszczuk |title=Kyrgyzstan Bans IS, Designates It As Terror Group |date=15 March 2015 |publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan-bans-islamic-state/26920328.html}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Latvia}}
|{{flagcountry|Lithuania}}
|{{flagcountry|Luxembourg}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Malaysia}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/20/malaysia-launches-crackdown-on-isis-after-threats-to-kill-the-king-and-prime-minister|title=Malaysia launches crackdown on Isis after threats to kill the king and prime minister|first=Hannah |last=Ellis-Petersen |date=20 July 2018|work=The Guardian}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Maldives}}
|{{flagcountry|Malta}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Mauritius}}<ref>{{cite news |first=David H. |last=Ucko |title=Trouble in Paradise: Mauritus Tries to Ward off Islamic Radicalization |date=28 December 2017 |work=World Politics Review |url=https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/23693/trouble-in-paradise-mauritius-tries-to-ward-off-islamist-radicalization}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Mexico}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Moldova}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Morocco}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|{{flagcountry|New Zealand}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Nicaragua}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Islamic State group: Nicaragua arrests four suspected members |publisher=BBC News |date=26 June 2019 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48773780}}</ref>
|{{flag|Niger}}
|{{flagcountry|North Macedonia}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Norway}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Oman}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Pakistan}}
|{{flagcountry|Palestine}}
|{{flagcountry|Philippines}}
|{{flagcountry|Poland}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Portugal}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Qatar}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Romania}}{{r|elpais}}
|''{{flagcountry|Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic}}''
|{{flagcountry|Serbia}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Singapore}}
|{{flagcountry|Slovakia}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Slovenia}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Somalia}}
|''{{flagcountry|South Ossetia}}''
|{{flagcountry|Spain}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Barcelona Terror Alert Coincides with New Spanish-Language ISIS Threats |first=Bridget |last=Johnson |date=30 December 2018 |work=Homeland Security Today |url=https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/terrorism-study/barcelona-terror-alert-coincides-with-new-spanish-language-isis-threats/}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Sri Lanka}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Sri Lanka bombings: Isis claims responsibility for deadly church and hotel attacks on Easter Sunday |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/sri-lanka-bombings-isis-terror-church-attack-easter-islamic-state-a8882231.html |work=The Independent |date=23 April 2019}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Sweden}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Switzerland}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Taiwan}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Tajikistan}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Video Purports to Show Tajikistan Attackers Pledging Allegiance to ISIS |first1=Rukmini |last1=Callimachi |first2=Andrew E. |last2=Kramer |date=31 July 2018 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/world/asia/isis-tajikistan-video-attack.html}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Thailand}}
|{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}}
|{{flag|Tunisia}}
|{{flag|Turkmenistan}}<ref>{{cite web |first=John |last=McAdams |title=The President of Turkmenistans Anti-ISIS Propaganda Video is Straight out of an '80s Action Movie |date=7 August 2017 |website=Wide Open Spaces |url=https://www.wideopenspaces.com/president-of-turkmenistans-anti-isis-propaganda-video/}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Ukraine}}{{r|elpais}}
|{{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Uzbekistan to receive and rehabilitate 148 women and children from ISIS |date=3 June 2019 |website=AlShahidWitness.com |url=https://alshahidwitness.com/uzbekistan-isis-repatriation-women-children/}}</ref>
|{{flagcountry|Venezuela}}<ref name= "AsambleaVE">{{Cite tweet |user=jguaido |author=Juan Guaidó |number=1169247448147091457 |date = 4 September 2019 |title=Desde la @AsambleaVE hemos declarado a la disidencia de las FARC, ELN, Hamas, Hezbollah e ISIS como grupos terroristas, ordenándoles a todos los cuerpos de seguridad del Estado proteger nuestra soberanía e integridad territorial frente a la amenaza que representan estos grupos.}}</ref>
}}
'''Non-state opponents'''
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg}} Syrian Democratic Forces
* {{flagicon image|Emblem of the Nineveh Plain Protection Units.svg}} Nineveh Plain Protection Units
* {{flag|Hezbollah}}
* [[File:Ansarullah Flag Vector.svg|20px]] Houthis
* {{flagicon image|Badr Organisation Military flag.svg}} Badr Organisation<ref>{{cite web |title=Badr Organization Destroys ISIS Car Bomb |date=5 June 2015 |work=Military.com |url=http://www.military.com/video/operations-and-strategy/terrorism/badr-organization-destroys-isis-car-bomb/4277703242001}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Hashd Al-Sha'abi flag.svg}} Popular Mobilization Forces
** {{flagicon image|Asa'ib Ahl Al-Haq flag.png}} Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/combat-footage-iraqi-forces-battle-isis-east-syria/ |title=Combat footage: Iraqi forces battle ISIS in east Syria |first= Andrew |last=Illingworth |date=22 December 2017 |publisher=Al Masdar News}}</ref>
** {{flagicon image|Kata'ib Hezbollah flag.svg}} [[Religion:Kata'ib Hezbollah|Kata'ib Hezbollah]]
** {{Flagicon image|}} Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
Full list...
* National Defence Forces
* Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Kurdistan.svg}} Peshmerga
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Koma Civakên Kurdistanê.svg}} [[Organization:Kurdistan Communities Union|Kurdistan Communities Union]]
* {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Free Syrian Army
* {{flagicon|Syrian opposition}} Syrian National Army<ref>{{cite news |first=Sirwan |last=Kajjo |date=25 August 2016 |title=Who Are The Turkey-backed Syrian Rebels? |work=Extremism Watch |publisher=Voice of America |url=https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/who-are-turkey-backed-syrian-rebels}}</ref>
* {{flag|al-Qaeda}}
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Ahrar ash-Sham.svg}} Ahrar al-Sham
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Al-Nusra Front.svg}} [[Religion:Al-Nusra Front|Al-Nusra Front]] ([[Religion:Tahrir al-Sham|Tahrir al-Sham]] since 2017<ref>{{cite news |first=Abdul Rahman |last=Khader |title="هيئة تحرير الشام" تقتل وتعتقل منتمين لـ"داعش" في إدلب |trans-title=The Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham kills and arrests ISIS-affiliates in Idlib |language=ar |work=The New Arab |date=14 July 2020 |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/"هيئة-تحرير-الشام"-تقتل-وتعتقل-منتمين-لـ"داعش"-في-إدلب}}</ref>)
* {{flagdeco|Libya}} Libya Shield Force
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Hamas.svg}} Hamas
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Jihad.svg}} Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna<ref>{{cite news |first=Rami |last=Musa |title=Al-Qaida-linked militants attack IS affiliate in Libya |date=10 June 2015 |work=Military Times |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2015/06/10/al-qaida-linked-militants-attack-is-affiliate-in-libya/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} [[Religion:Taliban|Taliban]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/24/taliban-agree-isil-al-qaeda-will-barred-afghanistan-major-concession/ | title=Taliban agree Isil and Al-Qaeda will be barred from Afghanistan in major concession during talks with US |first=Ben |last=Farmer |date=24 January 2019 |newspaper=Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Emblem of the Jaish al-Fatah.svg}} Army of Conquest (2015–17)
* {{flagdeco|IRQ}} Liwa Assad Allah al-Ghalib fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham<ref>{{cite news |title=الحشد الشعبي يوسع نطاق متابعة فلول داعش الى محافظة حمص السورية
 |trans-title=The Popular Mobilization Forces expands the scope of follow-up to ISIS remnants to the Syrian province of Homs |language=ar|date=13 April 2017 |work=Iraq Today |url=http://iraqtoday.com/ar/news/7955/الحشد_الشعبي_يوسع_نطاق_متابعة_فلول_داعش_الى_محافظة_حمص_السورية}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|IRQ}} Jaysh al-Mu'ammal<ref>{{cite news |first=Shelly |last=Kittleson |title=Iraqi police who fought for tribal PMUs won't return to force |date=11 April 2018 |work=Al-Monitor |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/04/shirqat-police-pmu-iraq.html}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Hezbollah}} Syrian Hezbollah
** {{flagicon image|}} Quwat al-Ridha<ref>{{cite web |title=ISIS kills 6 militants from Hezbollah-backed Quwat al-Ridha in Homs |date=23 September 2017 |work=Zamanalwsl.net |url=https://en.zamanalwsl.net/news/article/29928/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|}} Liwa Fatemiyoun<ref>{{cite news |first=Leith |last=Aboufadel |date=21 March 2016 |work=Al-Masdar News
|title=Iranian special forces arrive in Palmyra to help liberate the city |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/irgc-soldiers-arrive-palmyra-help-liberate-city/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Liwa_Zainebiyoun_infobox_flag.png}} Liwa Zainebiyoun<ref>{{cite news |title=التعرف على جثة امر لواء زينبيون الايراني الذي قتل في سوريا بنيران داعش الارهابي قبل عامين |trans-title=Identification of the body of the order of the Iranian Zainabiyoun Brigade, who was killed in Syria by ISIS terrorist fire two years ago |language=ar |work=IraqNewspaper.net |date=12 June 2019 |url=https://iraqnewspaper.net/ar/التعرف-جثة-امر-لواء-زينبيون-الايرا/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Islamic Front (Syria) (Black).svg}} Islamic Front<ref>{{cite web |title=لماذا أوقفت كتائب الحر والجبهة الإسلامية قتال داعش في جنوب دمشق؟ |trans-title=Why did the Free and Islamic Front Brigades stop the fight against ISIS in southern Damascus? |language=ar|date=27 September 2014 |work=akhbaralaan.net |url=https://www.akhbaralaan.net/news/arab-world/2014/09/27/isis-relief-south-damascus-break-siege-syria}}</ref>
* Ajnad al-Sham Islamic Union
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg}} Ba'ath Brigades<ref>{{cite web |title=عملية نوعية لـ "كتائب البعث" خلف خطوط "داعش" |trans-title=A qualitative operation by the "Baath Brigades" behind the lines of ISIS |language=ar |date=5 October 2014 |work=DamPress.net |url=https://www.dampress.net/?page=show_det&category_id=12&id=49947&lang=ar}}</ref>
More...
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The '''Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant''' ('''ISIL'''; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|s|@l|,_|ˈ|aɪ|s|ɪ|l}}), also known as the '''Islamic State of Iraq and Syria''' ('''ISIS'''; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|s|ɪ|s}}),<ref name="ISIS or ISIL? The debate">{{cite news |last1=Tharoor |first1=Ishaan |title=ISIS or ISIL? The debate over what to call Iraq's terror group |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/06/18/isis-or-isil-the-debate-over-what-to-call-iraqs-terror-group/ |access-date=21 June 2014 |work=The Washington Post |date=18 June 2014}}</ref> officially known as the '''Islamic State''' ('''IS''') and also known by its [[Social:Arabic|Arabic]] acronym '''Daesh''' ({{lang-ar|داعش}}, {{transl|ar|Dāʿish}}, {{IPA-ar|ˈdaːʕɪʃ|IPA}}),<ref name="DAESH shift">{{cite news |last1=Schwartz |first1=Felica |title=One More Name for Islamic State: Daesh |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/12/23/one-more-name-for-islamic-state-daesh/ |work={{wipe|The Wall Street Journal}} |date=23 December 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=https://www.freewordcentre.com/explore/daesh-isis-media-alice-guthrie |title=Decoding Daesh: Why is the new name for ISIS so hard to understand? |first=Alice |last=Guthrie |date=19 February 2015 |publisher=Free Word Centre |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141828/https://www.freewordcentre.com/explore/daesh-isis-media-alice-guthrie |archive-date=12 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is a militant group and former unrecognized [[Earth:Proto-state|proto-state]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/isil-defeated-syria-sdf-announces-final-victory-190323061233685.html|title=ISIL defeated in final Syria victory: SDF|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=23 March 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/23/middleeast/isis-caliphate-end-intl/index.html|title=ISIS has lost its final stronghold in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces says|first1=Ben|last1=Wedeman|first2=Lauren|last2=Said-Moorhouse|publisher=CNN|date=23 March 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/After-grueling-battle-ISIS-defeated-in-Syria-584346|title=After ISIS 'defeat,' what comes next? – Analysis|work=The Jerusalem Post|first=Seth J.|last=Frantzman}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/23/isis-defeated-us-backed-syrian-democratic-forces-announce|title=Isis defeated, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announce|first=Bethan|last=McKernan|date=23 March 2019|work={{wipe|The Guardian}}}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/23/world/middleeast/isis-syria-caliphate.html|title=ISIS Caliphate Crumbles as Last Village in Syria Falls|first=Rukmini|last=Callimachi|date=23 March 2019|work={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref> that follows a [[Religion:Salafi jihadism|Salafi jihadist]] doctrine.<ref name=Wahhabism>{{cite news |first=Fouad |last=al-Ibrahim |title=Why ISIS is a threat to Saudi Arabia: Wahhabism's deferred promise |work=Al Akhbar |url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/21234 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824121659/http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/21234 |date=22 August 2014 |archive-date=24 August 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=http://orientalreview.org/2014/09/23/islamic-state-and-the-policy-of-the-west/ |title=Islamic State and the policy of the West |last1=Dolgov |first1=Boris |work=Oriental Review |date=23 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Rodney|title=Islam and Economic Policy|url={{Google books|ejgkDQAAQBAJ|page=PA178|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2015|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|isbn=978-0-7486-8389-5|page=178}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite magazine |url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n05/patrick-cockburn/end-times-for-the-caliphate |title=End Times for the Caliphate? |first=Patrick |last=Cockburn |date=3 March 2016 |magazine=London Review of Books |volume=38 |issue=5 |pages=29–30}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Does Islamic State have the economic and political institutions for future development? |first1=Dmitry |last1=Pastukhov |first2=Nathaniel |last2=Greenwold |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/non-seminar/explore-econ16/accordian/greenwold_pastukhov-poster.pdf |access-date=6 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009215047/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/economics/non-seminar/explore-econ16/accordian/greenwold_pastukhov-poster.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite book|last=Pedler|first=John|title=A Word Before Leaving: A Former Diplomat's Weltanschauung|url={{Google books|A8nuBQAAQBAJ|page=PA99|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2015|publisher=Troubador |isbn=978-1-78462-223-7|page=99}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite book|last1=Kerr|first1=Michael|last2=Larkin|first2=Craig|title=The Alawis of Syria: War, Faith and Politics in the Levant|url={{Google books|koeMCwAAQBAJ|page=PA21|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-045811-9|page=21}}</ref> 

ISIL was founded by  Abu Musab al-Zarqawi  and gained global prominence in 2014 when it drove Iraqi security forces out of key cities in its Western Iraq offensive,<ref>{{cite news |title=John Kerry holds talks in Iraq as more cities fall to ISIS militants |url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/23/world/meast/iraq-crisis/ |publisher=CNN |date=23 June 2014}}</ref> followed by its capture of Mosul<ref>{{cite news |first1=Suadad |last1=Al-Salhy |first2=Tim |last2=Arango |title=Sunni Militants Drive Iraqi Army Out of Mosul |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/middleeast/militants-in-mosul.html |date=10 June 2014}}</ref> and the Sinjar massacre.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/world/middleeast/iraq.html |title=Sunni Extremists in Iraq Seize 3 Towns From Kurds and Threaten Major Dam |work=The New York Times |last1=Arango |first1=Tim |date=3 August 2014}}</ref>

The group has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the {{wipe|United Nations}}. ISIL is known for its videos of beheadings and other types of executions<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/11/isis-propaganda-videos_n_6846688.html |title=A Short History Of ISIS Propaganda Videos |work=The World Post |date=11 March 2015}}</ref> of both soldiers and civilians, including journalists and aid workers, and [[Religion:Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL|its destruction of cultural heritage sites]].<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219092526/http://mawtani.al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/iii/features/2015/02/13/feature-01 |url=http://mawtani.al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/iii/features/2015/02/13/feature-01 |title=Iraq churches, mosques under ISIL attack |first=Khalid |last=al-Taie |publisher=Al-Shorfa |date=13 February 2015 |archive-date=19 February 2015}}</ref> The United Nations holds ISIL responsible for committing human rights abuses, genocide, [[Social:War crime|war crime]]s, and [[Social:Crimes against humanity|crimes against humanity]].<ref name="Larson">{{cite news |first=Nina |last=Larson |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Nov-14/277641-un-probe-isis-committing-crimes-against-humanity-in-syria.ashx |title=UN probe: ISIS committing 'crimes against humanity' in Syria |work=The Daily Star  |location=Beirut, Lebanon |date=14 November 2014}}</ref> The Islamic State committed genocide and [[Social:Ethnic cleansing|ethnic cleansing]] on a historic scale in northern Iraq.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ethnic cleansing on a historic scale: The Islamic State's systematic targeting of minorities in northern Iraq |url=https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/8000/mde140112014en.pdf |publisher=Amnesty International |date=2 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312220534/https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/8000/mde140112014en.pdf |archive-date=12 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="DW.COM AI">{{cite news |title='Gruesome evidence of ethnic cleansing' in Iraq |date=2 September 2014 |publisher=Deutsche Welle | url=https://p.dw.com/p/1D55h}}</ref>

ISIL originated in 1999, pledged allegiance to [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda]] and participated in the Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by Western forces. In June 2014, the group proclaimed itself a worldwide caliphate<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Roggio |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/06/isis_announces_formation_of_ca.php |title=ISIS announces formation of Caliphate, rebrands as 'Islamic State' |work=Long War Journal |date=29 June 2014}}</ref><ref name="newname">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-declares-new-islamic-state-in-middle-east-with-abu-bakr-albaghdadi-as-emir-removing-iraq-and-syria-from-its-name-9571374.html |last=Withnall |first=Adam |title=Iraq crisis: Isis changes name and declares its territories a new Islamic state with 'restoration of caliphate' in Middle East |date=29 June 2014 |work=The Independent |location=London}}</ref> and began referring to itself as the Islamic State ({{lang|ar|الدولة الإسلامية}} ''{{transl|ar|ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah}}''; IS).<ref>{{cite news |title=What is Islamic State? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29052144 |publisher=BBC News|date=26 September 2014}}</ref> As a [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]], it claimed religious, political, and military authority over all [[Religion:Ummah|Muslims worldwide]].<ref name="What does ISIS' declaration of a caliphate mean">{{cite web |title=What does ISIS' declaration of a caliphate mean? |work=Al Akhbar |url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/20378 |date=30 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119080201/https://english.al-akhbar.com/node/20378 |archive-date=19 January 2019 |url-status=dead}}. See also: {{harvc |contribution=Caliph, caliphate |first1=Wadad |last=Kadi |first2=Aram A. |last2=Shahin |url={{Google books|q1I0pcrFFSUC|page=81|plainurl=y}} |in=Bowering |year=2013}}</ref> Its adoption of the name Islamic State and its idea of a caliphate have been criticised, with the United Nations, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups rejecting its [[Earth:State (polity)|statehood]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/21/opinion/a-medieval-antidote-to-isis.html |title=A Medieval Antidote to ISIS |last=Akyol |first=Mustafa |date=21 December 2015 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In Syria, the group conducted ground attacks on both government forces and opposition factions, and by December 2015, it held an area extending from western Iraq to eastern Syria, containing an estimated eight to twelve million people,{{r|by the numbers|rolling back}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/02/05/how-isis-rules/ |title=How ISIS Rules |last=Birke |first=Sarah |website=The New York Review of Books|date=5 February 2017}}</ref> where it enforced its interpretation of [[Religion:Sharia|sharia]] law. ISIL is believed to be operational in 18 countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: In turf war with Afghan Taliban, Islamic State loyalists gain ground |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-islamic-state-idUSKCN0P91EN20150629 |publisher=Reuters |date=29 June 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Islamic State and the crisis in Iraq and Syria in maps |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27838034 |publisher=BBC News|date=18 October 2016}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Pakistan Taliban splinter group vows allegiance to Islamic State |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-militants-is-idUSKCN0J20YQ20141118 |publisher=Reuters |date=18 November 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Zavadski |first=Katie |title=ISIS Now Has a Network of Military Affiliates in 11 Countries Around the World |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/isis-now-has-military-allies-in-11-countries.html |work=New York |date=23 November 2014}}</ref> In 2015, ISIL was estimated to have an annual budget of more than {{US$|1}}{{nbsp}}billion and more than 30,000 fighters.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gerges|first=Fawaz A.|title=ISIS: A History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tXptDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21|year=2016|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-6911-7000-8|pages=21–22}}</ref>

In mid-2014, an international coalition led by the United States intervened against ISIL in Syria and Iraq with an airstrike campaign, in addition to supplying advisors, weapons, training, and supplies to ISIL's enemies in the Iraqi Security Forces and Syrian Democratic Forces. This campaign reinvigorated the latter two forces and damaged ISIL, killing tens of thousands of its troops<ref name="once promised">{{cite web|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/once-promised-paradise-isis-fighters-end-up-in-mass-graves|title=Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves|work=The Straits Times|date=15 October 2017|access-date=11 December 2017}}</ref> and reducing its financial and military infrastructure.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve|title=Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria|publisher=US Department of Defense|date=9 August 2017}}</ref> This was followed by a smaller-scale Russian intervention exclusively in Syria, in which ISIL lost thousands more fighters to airstrikes, cruise missile attacks, and other Russian military activities and had its financial base further degraded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=122585|title=42 months of Russian operations on the Syrian territory kill more than 8000 civilians including more than 18150 people in their raids and shelling|publisher=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights|date=30 March 2019}}</ref> In July 2017, the group lost control of its largest city, [[Place:Mosul|Mosul]], to the Iraqi army, followed by the loss of its de facto political capital of Raqqa to the Syrian Democratic Forces.<ref>{{cite web | title=Raqqa: IS 'capital' falls to US-backed Syrian forces | website=BBC News | date=2017-10-17 | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41646802 | access-date=2021-03-07}}</ref> By December 2017, the Islamic State controlled just 2% of its maximum territory (in May 2015).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dont-miss/isis-has-lost-98-percent-of-its-territory-officials-say|title=ISIS has lost 98 percent of its territory, officials say|date=26 December 2017|website=Fox32Chicago|publisher=WFLD}}</ref> In December 2017, Iraqi forces had driven the last remnants of the Islamic State underground, three years after the group captured about a third of Iraq's territory.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theage.com.au/world/islamic-state-completely-evicted-from-iraq-iraqi-pm-says-20171210-h01x2r.html|title=Islamic State completely 'evicted' from Iraq, Iraqi PM says|date=10 December 2017|website=The Age}}</ref> By March 2019, ISIL lost one of their last significant territories in the Middle East in the Deir ez-Zor campaign, surrendering their "tent city" and pockets in Al-Baghuz Fawqani to the Syrian Democratic Forces after the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani.{{r|battleover}}

In October 2019, ISIL media announced that Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was the new leader of the Islamic State,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/31/islamic-state-new-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-abu-ibrahim-al-hashimi-al-qurayshi|title=Islamic State names new leader after death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi|last=Chulov|first=Martin|date=31 October 2019|work=The Guardian}}</ref> after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself by detonating a suicide vest during the US Barisha raid in the Syrian rebel–held Idlib province of Syria four days previously.<ref>{{cite news |title=Al-Baghdadi Killed in Idlib, a Hotbed of Terror Groups, Foreign Fighters |url=https://www.voanews.com/extremism-watch/al-baghdadi-killed-idlib-hotbed-terror-groups-foreign-fighters |work=Extremism Watch |publisher=Voice of America |date=27 October 2019}}</ref><ref name="Al Jazeera 2019-10-27">{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/targetted-isil-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-191027050027973.html |title=US targeted ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: US officials |date=27 October 2019 |publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref><ref name="Browne">{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/26/politics/white-house-trump-announcement-sunday/index.html |title=ISIS leader al-Baghdadi believed to have been killed in a US military raid, sources say |first1=Ryan |last1=Browne |first2=Phil |last2=Mattingly |date=27 October 2019 |publisher=CNN  |editor-first=Jeff |editor-last=Zeleny |editor2-first=Kevin |editor2-last=Liptak |editor3-first=Jeremy |editor3-last=Diamond |editor3-link=Jeremy Diamond}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-leader-targeted-in-u-s-military-raid-11572155580|title=Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead, Trump Says|first1=Gordon|last1=Lubold|first2=Raja|last2=Abdulrahim|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=27 October 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/oct/27/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-islamic-state-leader-trump-syria|title=Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, says Donald Trump – latest updates|work=The Guardian|date=27 October 2019}}</ref>

In August 2021, the Islamic State's Afghan affiliate, ISIL-KP killed 13 American military personnel and at least 169 Afghan civilians<ref name="GdnBurke" /><ref name="moreattacks">{{cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/bombings-evacuations-kabul-bb32ec2b65b54ec24323e021c9b4a553 |title=US forces keep up Kabul airlift under threat of more attacks |work=Associated Press |date=27 August 2021 |access-date=27 August 2021 |archive-date=27 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827071102/https://apnews.com/article/bombings-evacuations-kabul-bb32ec2b65b54ec24323e021c9b4a553 |url-status=live }}</ref> during the U.S. evacuation of Kabul. The U.S. deaths were the highest number of U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan since 2011.<ref name="moreattacks" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=LARA SELIGMAN, ALEXANDER WARD, ANDREW DESIDERIO, DANIEL LIPPMAN and PAUL MCLEARY |title=13 U.S. troops killed in ISIS attacks on Kabul airport |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/26/explosion-rocks-kabul-airport-as-us-tries-to-evacuate-thousands-506937 |access-date=29 August 2021 |work=Politico |date=26 August 2021 |language=en |quote=Thirteen U.S. troops were killed and 18 were injured on Thursday when ISIS militants set off two bombs outside Kabul’s main airport, the Pentagon said}}</ref><ref>https://www.latimes.com/world/afghanistan-pakistan/la-fg-deadliest-day-for-kabul-civilians-since-2011-20150808-story.html</ref><ref name="GdnBurke">[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/26/isis-affiliate-iskp-is-prime-suspect-for-kabul-airport-suicide-bomb "Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul airport blasts", Jason Burke, ''The Guardian'']</ref>
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== Name{{anchor|Nomenclature|Name}} ==
{{anchor|ISIS}}In April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the name ''{{transl|ar|ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām}}'' ({{rtl-lang|ar|الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام}}). As ''al-Shām'' is a region often compared with the [[Place:Levant|Levant]] or Greater Syria, the group's name has been variously translated as "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham",<ref name="BBC 2 December 2015">{{cite web |last1=Irshaid |first1=Faisal |title=Isis, Isil, IS or Daesh? One group, many names |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27994277 |publisher=BBC |date=2 December 2015}}</ref> "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2013/04/09/Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq-confirms-Syria-s-Nusra-Front-is-part-of-its-network.html |title=AlQaeda in Iraq confirms Syria's Nusra Front is part of its network |publisher=Al Arabiya English |date=9 April 2013}}</ref> (both abbreviated as ISIS), or "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (abbreviated as ISIL).{{r|ISIS or ISIL? The debate}}

While the use of either one or the other acronym has been the subject of debate,{{r|ISIS or ISIL? The debate}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Saxena |first1=Vivek |title=ISIS vs ISIL – Which One Is It? |url=http://www.inquisitr.com/1306844/isis-vs-isil-which-one-is-it/ |date=16 September 2014 |work=Inquisitr }}</ref> the distinction between the two and its relevance has been considered not so great.{{r|ISIS or ISIL? The debate}} Of greater relevance is the name Daesh, which is an acronym of ISIL's [[Social:Arabic language|Arabic]] name ''al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām.'' ''Dāʿish'' ({{rtl-lang|ar|داعش}}), or Daesh. This name has been widely used by ISIL's Arabic-speaking detractors,{{r|BBC 2 December 2015}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/05/226067.htm |title=Terrorist Designations of Groups Operating in Syria |publisher=United States Department of State |date=14 May 2014}}</ref> for example when referring to the group whilst speaking amongst themselves, although ⁠ ⁠—  and to a certain extent because ⁠ ⁠—  it is considered derogatory, as it resembles the Arabic words ''Daes'' ("one who crushes, or tramples down, something underfoot") and ''Dāhis'' (loosely translated: "one who sows discord").{{r|DAESH shift}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Randal |first1=Collin |title=Why Does a Simple Word like Daesh Disturb Extremists so Much |url=http://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/why-does-a-simple-word-like-daesh-disturb-extremists-so-much |work=The National |location=Abu Dhabi |date=18 October 2014}}</ref> Within areas under its control, ISIL considers use of the name Daesh punishable by flogging<ref>{{cite web |last=Abouzeid |first=Rania |title=Syria's uprising within an uprising |publisher=European Council on Foreign Relations |date=16 January 2014 |url=http://ecfr.eu/content/entry/commentary_syrias_uprising_within_an_uprising238 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125092845/http://ecfr.eu/content/entry/commentary_syrias_uprising_within_an_uprising238 |archive-date=25 January 2014}}</ref> or cutting out the tongue.<ref>{{cite news |first=Maria |last=Vultaggio |title=ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, Daesh: What's The Difference? |date=16 November 2015 |work=International Business Times |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/isil-isis-islamic-state-daesh-whats-difference-2187131}}</ref>

In late June 2014, the group renamed itself ''{{transl|ar|ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah}}'' ({{literal translation|Islamic State}} or ''IS''), declaring itself a worldwide [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]].{{r|newname}} The name "Islamic State" and the group's claim to be a caliphate have been widely rejected, with the UN, various governments, and mainstream Muslim groups refusing to use the new name.<ref name="Moore">{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Jack |date=2 July 2014 |title=Iraq Crisis: Senior Jordan Jihadist Slams Isis Caliphate |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-crisis-senior-jordan-jihadist-slams-isis-caliphate-1455041 |work=International Business Times UK}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=Mandhai |first1=Shafik |title=Muslim leaders reject Baghdadi's caliphate |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/muslim-leaders-reject-baghdadi-caliphate-20147744058773906.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=7 July 2014}}</ref> The group's declaration of a new caliphate in June 2014 and its adoption of the name "Islamic State" have been criticised and ridiculed by Muslim scholars and rival Islamists both inside and outside the territory it controls.{{r|Moore}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Iraq's Baghdadi calls for 'holy war' |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/07/iraqi-rebel-leader-calls-holy-war-201471202429388292.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=2 July 2014}}</ref>

In a speech in September 2014, United States President [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]] said that ISIL was neither "Islamic" (on the basis that no religion condones the killing of innocents) nor was it a "state" (in that no government recognises the group as a state),<ref name="potus-statement" >{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/10/statement-president-isil-1 |work=whitehouse.gov |title=Statement by the President on ISIL |via=National Archives |date=10 September 2014}}</ref> while many object to using the name "Islamic State" owing to the far-reaching religious and political claims to authority which that name implies. The United Nations Security Council,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/2178%20(2014) |title=United Nations Official Document |publisher=United Nations |access-date=13 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028111035/http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S%2FRES%2F2178+%282014%29 |archive-date=28 October 2014}}</ref> the United States,{{r|potus-statement}} Canada,<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Pugliese |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/details-about-the-canadian-governments-motion-about-going-to-war-against-isil |title=Details about the Canadian government's motion about going to war against ISIL |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=3 October 2014}}</ref> Turkey,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/397771--turkish-govt-files-motion-to-parliament-to-fight-isil |title=Turkish government files motion to Parliament to fight ISIL |publisher=Andalou Agency |date=1 October 2014}}</ref> Australia,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/australia-says-ready-strike-isil-iraq-201410344429911502.html |title=Australia says ready to strike ISIL in Iraq |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=3 October 2014}}</ref> Russia,{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} the United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/isil-uk-government-response |title=ISIL: UK government response |publisher=Government of the United Kingdom |date=13 October 2014}}</ref> and other countries generally call the group "ISIL", while much of the Arab world uses the [[Social:Arabic|Arabic]] acronym "Dāʻish" (or "Daesh"). France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said "This is a terrorist group and not a state. I do not recommend using the term Islamic State because it blurs the lines between Islam, Muslims, and Islamists. The Arabs call it 'Daesh' and I will be calling them the 'Daesh cutthroats'."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/17/france-is-ditching-the-islamic-state-name-and-replacing-it-with-a-label-the-group-hates/ |title=France is ditching the 'Islamic State' name—and replacing it with a label the group hates |date=17 September 2014 |work=The Washington Post |first=Adam |last=Taylor}}</ref> Retired general John Allen, the U.S. envoy appointed to co-ordinate the coalition; U.S. Army Lieutenant General James Terry, head of operations against the group; and Secretary of State John Kerry had all shifted towards use of the term Daesh by December 2014,<ref>{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Yuhasin |title=US general rebrands Isis 'Daesh' after requests from regional partners Leader of operations against group uses alternative name – a pejorative in Arabic that rejects fighters' claims on Islam |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/19/us-general-rebrands-isis |date=19 December 2014}}</ref> which nonetheless remained a pejorative in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=NABIH BULOS |title=Family says 7 children were killed in Kabul drone strike; U.S. is investigating |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-30/family-says-several-children-killed-us-missile-strike-kabul |access-date=30 August 2021 |work={{wipe|Los Angeles Times}} |date=30 August 2021 |language=en |quote=Daesh?” he said, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym, which is considered a pejorative by the group}}</ref>

In 2014, Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah dubbed ISIS as '''QSIS''' for "al-Qaeda Separatists in Iraq and Syria", arguing that ISIL does not represent the vast majority of Muslims.<ref>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Kingsley |title=Call Islamic State QSIS instead, says globally influential Islamic authority |work=The Guardian |date=27 August 2014 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/27/islamic-state-isis-al-qaida-separatists-iraq-syria}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Meet 'QSIS': A new twist in what to call the extremist group rampaging in Iraq and Syria |work=The Washington Post|date=26 August 2014  |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/08/26/meet-qsis-a-new-twist-in-what-to-call-the-extremist-group-rampaging-in-iraq-and-syria/ |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

== Purpose and strategy ==
=== Ideology ===
ISIL is a [[Social:Theocracy|theocracy]], [[Earth:Proto-state|proto-state]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tobey |first1=Mark |title=The ISIS Crisis: What You Really Need to Know |date=2015 |location=chapter 6 reference 13 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hi9VBQAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|publisher=Moody |isbn=978-0-8024-9321-7|quote=The final expression of Islamic government found in the Middle East would seem to be the purest, yet actually represents the most dangerous form: '''theocratic''' Islam.}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |last1=Belanger-McMurdo |first1=Adele |title=A Fight for Statehood? ISIS and Its Quest for Political Domination |date=5 October 2015 |url=http://www.e-ir.info/2015/10/05/a-fight-for-statehood-isis-and-its-quest-for-political-domination/ |quote=Nevertheless, ISIS is neither a terrorist organization nor a political party; instead, it is a '''theocratic proto-state'''.}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite book |last1=Caldwell |first1=Dan |title=Seeking Security in an Insecure World |date=2016 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |page=195 |url={{Google books|DqNaCwAAQBAJ|page=PA195|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |quote=It is a '''theocratic state''' that considers itself unbound by the Westphalian principle of sovereignty with its corollaries of nonaggression and nonintervention}}</ref> and a [[Religion:Salafi jihadism|Salafi-Jihadi]] group.{{r|HuffPost_Wahhabi}}<ref name="guardian-traincamp">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/25/inside-isis-training-camps |title=The secret world of Isis training camps – ruled by sacred texts and the sword |last=Hassan |first=Hassan |work=The Guardian |date=24 January 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-affiliate-takes-root-amid-libyas-chaos-1422837545 |title=Islamic State Affiliate Takes Root Amid Libya's Chaos |last=Bradley |first=Matt |date=1 February 2015 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> ISIL's [[Philosophy:Ideology|ideology]] has been described as being a hybrid of Salafism,{{r|Quilliam2014}} [[Religion:Salafi jihadism|Salafi jihadism]]{{r|Quilliam2014|Bunzel|what-isis-really-wants|HuffPost_Wahhabi}}, [[Religion:Wahhabism|Wahhabism]] and [[Religion:Islamism|Sunni Islamist fundamentalism.]]{{r|what-isis-really-wants|HuffPost_Wahhabi}}<ref name=Armstrong_2014>{{cite magazine |last=Armstrong |first=Karen |title=Wahhabism to ISIS: how Saudi Arabia exported the main source of global terrorism |magazine=New Statesman |location=London |date=27 November 2014 |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2014/11/wahhabism-isis-how-saudi-arabia-exported-main-source-global-terrorism |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127132619/http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2014/11/wahhabism-isis-how-saudi-arabia-exported-main-source-global-terrorism |archive-date=27 November 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Sells |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Sells |orig-year=First published 20 December 2016 |date=22 December 2016 |title=Wahhabist Ideology: What It Is And Why It's A Problem |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wahhabist-ideology-what-it-is-and-why-its-a-problem_b_585991fce4b014e7c72ed86e?guccounter=1 |work=The Huffington Post |location=New York |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408032152/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wahhabist-ideology-what-it-is-and-why-its-a-problem_b_585991fce4b014e7c72ed86e |archive-date=8 April 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> Although ISIL claims to adhere to the [[Religion:Athari|Salafi theology]] of [[Biography:Ibn Taymiyyah|Ibn Taymiyyah]], it rebels against traditional Salafi interpretations as well as the four Sunni schools of law and anathematizes the majority of Salafis as heretics. ISIL ideologues rarely uphold adherence to Islamic scholarship and law manuals for reference, mostly preferring to derive rulings based on self-interpretation of the Qur'an and Muslim traditions.{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|pages=xiii, 11, 18}} According to Robert Manne, there is a "general consensus" that the ideology of the Islamic State is "primarily based upon the writings of the radical Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood theoretician Sayyid Qutb".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manne |first=Robert |date=3 November 2016 |title=The mind of Islamic State: more coherent and consistent than Nazism |work=The Guardian |url=https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/the-mind-of-islamic-state-more-coherent-and-consistent-than-nazism|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170128181058/https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/the-mind-of-islamic-state-more-coherent-and-consistent-than-nazism|archive-date=28 January 2017|quote="There exists a more or less general consensus that the ideology of the Islamic State is founded upon the prison writings of the revolutionary Egyptian Muslim Brother Sayyid Qutb"}}</ref> Muslim Brotherhood began the trend of political Islamism in the 20th century seeking a gradualist establishment of another [[Religion:Caliphate|Caliphate]] which would be a comprehensive Islamic system ruling by sharia. Through Sayyid Qutb's doctrines of ''Jahiliyya'' (pre-Islamic ignorance), ''hakimiyya'' (Divine Sovereignty) and ''[[Religion:Takfir|Takfir]]'' of entire societies, a radicalised vision of Muslim Brotherhood's political Islam project would form the core of [[Religion:Qutbism|Qutbism]](skeletal Salafi-Jihadism). Qutb was the precursor to all [[Religion:Jihadism|Jihadist thought]], from [[Biography:Abdullah Yusuf Azzam|Abdullah Azzam]] to Zawahiri and to Daesh.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Khateeb |first=Motaz |date=3 December 2014 |title=Daesh's Intellectual Origins: From Jurisprudence to Reality |url=https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/dossiers/decipheringdaeshoriginsimpactandfuture/2014/12/2014123981882756.html#a24 |website=Al Jazeera Centre for Studies}}</ref> According to Syrian scholar Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, major elements of ISIL ideology as well as its extremist practices are derived from the [[Religion:Jihadism|Jihadist]] works of the Egyptian scholar Sayyid Qutb and the manuals of hardline wings of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|page=xii}} Alongside Sayyid Qutb, [[Biography:Ibn Taymiyyah|Ibn Taymiyya]], Abdullah Azzam, and Abu Bakr Naji are amongst the most invoked ideological figures of ISIS.<ref>{{Cite book|last=G. Harris|first=MAJ Lucas|url=https://www.hsdl.org/%3Fview%26did%3D824673&ved=2ahUKEwjLjrWZitvvAhXaxzgGHcoBDT4QFjAAegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw3UhHNCywr1qdnEGjMw9LQB|title=ISIS vs. Al Qaeda: An Ideological Comparison|publisher=US Army Command and General Staff College|year=2018|location=Fort Leavenworth, KS|pages=2, 8, 9, 11}}</ref>

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi himself was radicalised as a former Muslim Brotherhood member during his youth.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Law |first=Tara |date=27 October 2019 |title=Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Dead. Here's What to Know About the Deceased Islamic State Leader |work={{wipe|Time (magazine)}} |url=https://time.com/5711809/al-baghdadi-islamic-state-isis-dead/ |quote="Al-Baghdadi is thought to have shown signs of radicalization years ago, joining an extreme branch of the Sunni dissident group the Muslim Brotherhood as a youth."}}</ref> Motaz Al-Khateeb states that religious texts and Islamic jurisprudence "alone cannot explain the emergence" of Daesh since the Muslim Brotherhood and Daesh "draw on the same Islamic jurisprudence" but "are diametrically opposite" in strategy and behavior.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Al-Khateeb |first=Motaz |date=3 December 2014 |title=Daesh's Intellectual Origins: From Jurisprudence to Reality |url=https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/dossiers/decipheringdaeshoriginsimpactandfuture/2014/12/2014123981882756.html#a24 |website=Al Jazeera Centre for Studies |quote="While the Muslim Brotherhood and Daesh are diametrically opposite, they both draw on the same Islamic jurisprudence. In other words, religious texts and jurisprudence, in and of themselves, cannot explain the emergence of phenomena like Daesh, particularly given that the texts are centuries old as opposed to these new jihadi-political groups who use them to legitimise their existence"}}</ref> Through the official statement of beliefs originally released by its first leader Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2007 and subsequently updated since June 2014, ISIL defined its own [[Religion:Aqidah|creed]] as "a middle way between the extremist Kharijites and the lax Murji'ites".{{r|Bunzel|p=38}} ISIL's ideology represents radical Jihadi-Salafi Islam, a strict, puritanical form of Sunni Islam.<ref>{{cite web |title= The 'ISIS Phenomenon' |url=http://sites.psu.edu/academy/2016/11/06/the-isis-phenomenon/ |website=PennState Presidential Leadership Academy |last= Teti |first=Isabella Frances |publisher=Pennsylvania State University |date=6 November 2016}}</ref> Muslim organisations like Islamic Networks Group (ING) in America have argued against this interpretation of [[Religion:Islam|Islam]].<ref>{{cite web |title=INGYouth: Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://ing.org/youth-faq/|website=Islamic Networks Group |access-date=30 November 2017}}</ref> ISIL promotes [[Social:Religious violence#Islam|religious violence]], and regards Muslims who do not agree with its interpretations as [[Religion:Kafir|infidel]]s or apostates.<ref name=ANS>{{cite web |title=Islamic State |url=http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/IslamicState.aspx |access-date=22 July 2014 |website=Australian National Security |publisher=Australian Government}}</ref> According to Hayder al Khoei, ISIL's philosophy is represented by the symbolism in the [[Religion:Black Standard|Black Standard]] variant of the legendary battle flag of [[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]] that it has adopted: the flag shows the [[Religion:Seal of Muhammad|Seal of Muhammad]] within a white circle, with the phrase above it, "[[Religion:Shahada|There is no god but Allah]]".<ref name="time-2014-09-09">{{cite news |last1=Prusher |first1=Ilene |date=9 September 2014 |title=What the ISIS Flag Says About the Militant Group |url=http://time.com/3311665/isis-flag-iraq-syria/ |work=Time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909202210/http://time.com/3311665/isis-flag-iraq-syria/ |archive-date=9 September 2014}}</ref> Such symbolism has been said to point to ISIL's belief that it represents the restoration of the [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]] of early Islam, with all the political, religious and [[Religion:Islamic eschatology|eschatological]] ramifications that this would imply.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anne-speckhard/isis-iraq_b_5541693.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917040453/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/anne-speckhard/isis-iraq_b_5541693.html |archive-date=17 September 2014 |title=Endtimes Brewing |work=Huffington Post (UK) |first=Anne |last=Speckhard |date=29 August 2014}}</ref>

ISIL adheres to [[Religion:Jihadism|global jihadist]] principles and follows the hard-line ideology of [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]] and many other modern-day jihadist groups.{{r|ReutersHolmes_030214|ANS}}

{{blockquote|text=For their guiding principles, the leaders of the Islamic State ... are open and clear about their almost exclusive commitment to the Wahhabi movement of Sunni Islam. The group circulates images of Wahhabi religious textbooks from Saudi Arabia in the schools it controls. Videos from the group's territory have shown Wahhabi texts plastered on the sides of an official missionary van. |author=David D. Kirkpatrick |source=''The New York Times''<ref name=ISIS_NYT>{{cite news |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=David |title=ISIS Harsh Brand of Islam Is Rooted in Austere Saudi Creed |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/middleeast/isis-abu-bakr-baghdadi-caliph-wahhabi.html |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=24 September 2014}}</ref>}}

According to ''[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]]'', Saudi practices followed by the group include the establishment of [[Religion:Islamic religious police|religious police]] to root out "vice" and enforce attendance at salat prayers, the widespread use of capital punishment, and the destruction or re-purposing of any non-Sunni religious buildings.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Crime and punishment in Saudi Arabia: The other beheaders |magazine=The Economist |date=20 September 2014 |url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21618918-possible-reasons-mysterious-surge-executions-other-beheaders}}</ref> Bernard Haykel has described ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's creed as "a kind of untamed Wahhabism".{{r|ISIS_NYT}} Senior Saudi religious leaders have issued statements condemning ISIL<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff writer |title='ISIS is enemy No. 1 of Islam,' says Saudi grand mufti |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/08/19/Saudi-mufti-ISIS-is-enemy-No-1-of-Islam-.html |work=Al Arabiyah News English |date=19 August 2014}}</ref> and attempting to distance the group from official Saudi religious beliefs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff writer |title=Some Saudi clerics condemn Isil but preach intolerance |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/saudi-arabia/some-saudi-clerics-condemn-isil-but-preach-intolerance-1.1383191 |work=Gulf News |agency=Reuters |date=10 September 2014}}</ref>

What connection, if any, is there between Salafi-Jihadism of Daesh and Wahhabism and Salafism proper is disputed. ISIS borrowed two elements of [[Religion:Qutbism|Qutbism]] and 20th century Islamism into its version of Wahhabi worldview. While Wahhabism shuns violent rebellion against earthly rulers, ISIS embraces political call to revolutions. While historically Wahhabis weren't champion activists of a [[Religion:Caliphate|Caliphate]], ISIS borrowed the idea of restoration of a global Caliphate.<ref>{{Cite web|last=D. Kirkpatrick|first=David|date=24 September 2014|title=ISIS' Harsh Brand of Islam Is Rooted in Austere Saudi Creed|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/25/world/middleeast/isis-abu-bakr-baghdadi-caliph-wahhabi.html|website=The New York Times|quote="The Islamic State's founder, Mr. Baghdadi, grafted two elements onto his Wahhabi foundations borrowed from the broader, 20th-century Islamist movements that began with the Muslim Brotherhood and ultimately produced Al Qaeda. Where Wahhabi scholars preach obedience to earthly rulers, Mr. Baghdadi adopted the call to political action against foreign domination of the Arab world that has animated the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda and other 20th-century Islamist movements.Mr. Baghdadi also borrowed the idea of a restored caliphate. Where Wahhabism first flourished alongside the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim Brotherhood was founded shortly after that caliphate's dissolution, in 1924 — an event seen across the world as a marker of Western ascent and Eastern decline. The movement's founders took up the call for a revived caliphate as a goal of its broader anti-Western project."}}</ref>

Although the religious character of ISIS is mostly Wahhabi, it departs from Wahhabi tradition in four critical aspects: dynastic alliance, call to establish a global caliphate, sheer violence, and apocalyptism.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bunzel|first=Cole|date=18 February 2016|title=The Kingdom and the Caliphate: Duel of the Islamic States|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/02/18/kingdom-and-caliphate-duel-of-islamic-states-pub-62810|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910232703/https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/02/18/kingdom-and-caliphate-duel-of-islamic-states-pub-62810|archive-date=10 September 2018|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|quote="The religious character of the Islamic State is, without doubt, overwhelmingly Wahhabi, but the group does depart from Wahhabi tradition in four critical respects: dynastic alliance, the caliphate, violence, and apocalyptic fervor"}}</ref>

ISIS did not follow the pattern of the first three Saudi states in allying the religious mission of the Najdi ''[[Religion:Ulama|ulema]]'' with the Al Saud family, rather they consider them apostates. The call for a global caliphate is another departure from Wahhabism. The caliphate, understood in Islamic law as the ideal Islamic polity uniting all Muslim territories, does not figure much in traditional Najdi writings. Ironically, Wahhabism emerged as an anti-caliphate movement.<ref name="Bunzel 18 February 2016">{{Cite web|last=Bunzel|first=Cole|date=18 February 2016|title=The Kingdom and the Caliphate: Duel of the Islamic States|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/02/18/kingdom-and-caliphate-duel-of-islamic-states-pub-62810|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910232703/https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/02/18/kingdom-and-caliphate-duel-of-islamic-states-pub-62810|archive-date=10 September 2018|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}}</ref>

Although [[Philosophy:Violence|violence]] was not absent in the First Saudi State, Islamic State's gut-wrenching displays of beheading, immolation, and other forms of extreme violence aimed at inspiring fear are no throwback to early Saudi practices. They were introduced by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, former leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, who took inspiration from the Egyptian Jihadi scholar, Abu Abdallah Al Muhajir. It is the latter's legal manual on violence, popularly known as ''Fiqh al-dima'' (The Jurisprudence of Blood), that is the Islamic State's standard reference for justifying its extraordinary acts of violence.{{R|Bunzel 18 February 2016}}

The Islamic State's apocalyptic dimension also lacks a mainstream Wahhabi precedent.{{R|Bunzel 18 February 2016}}

ISIL aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejecting all [[Religion:Bid'ah|innovations]] in the religion, which it believes corrupts its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and the [[Place:Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Empire]] for deviating from what it calls pure Islam and seeks to revive the original Qutbist project of the restoration of a global caliphate that is governed by a strict Salafi-Jihadi doctrine. Following Salafi-Jihadi doctrines, ISIL condemns the followers of secular law as disbelievers, putting the current Saudi Arabian government in that category.{{r|Wahhabism}}

ISIL believes that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of [[Religion:Jihad|jihad]] and that the first priority over other areas of combat, such as fighting non-Muslim countries, is the purification of Islamic society. For example, ISIL regards the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad and see fighting Hamas as the first step towards confrontation by ISIL with Israel.{{r|ISIS_NYT}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mamouri |first1=Ali |title=Why Islamic State has no sympathy for Hamas |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/islamic-state-fighting-hamas-priority-before-israel.html |date=29 July 2014 |work=Al-Monitor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801134410/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/07/islamic-state-fighting-hamas-priority-before-israel.html |archive-date=1 August 2014}}</ref>

The central role of Qutbist influence on Daesh is best captured in a saying popular among Islamic State supporters, attributed to Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Haider Shaye:

{{blockquote |text=The Islamic State was drafted by Sayyid Qutb, taught by Abdullah Azzam, globalized by Osama bin Laden, transferred to reality by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and implemented by al-Baghdadis: Abu Omar and Abu Bakr. |author=Hassan Hassan |source=''The Sectarianism of the Islamic State: Ideological Roots and Political Context''.<ref name="Hassan Hassan">{{Cite web |last=Hassan |first=Hassan |date=13 June 2016 |title=The Sectarianism of the Islamic State: Ideological Roots and Political Context |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2016/06/13/sectarianism-of-islamic-state-ideological-roots-and-political-context-pub-63746|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}}</ref>}}

{{blockquote|text=The Islamic State added a focus on sectarianism to a layer of radical views. In particular, it linked itself to the Salafi-jihadi movement that evolved out of the Afghan jihad.|author=Hassan Hassan |source=''The Sectarianism of the Islamic State: Ideological Roots and Political Context''.{{R|Hassan Hassan}} }}

=== Islamic eschatology ===
One difference between ISIL and other Islamist and jihadist movements, including [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]], is the group's emphasis on [[Religion:Islamic eschatology|eschatology]] and [[Unsolved:Apocalypticism|apocalypticism]] – that is, a belief in a final [[Religion:Last Judgment#Islam|Day of Judgment]] by God. ISIL believes that it will defeat the army of "Rome" at the town of [[Place:Dabiq, Syria|Dabiq]].{{r|what-isis-really-wants}} ISIL also believes that after al-Baghdadi there will be only four more legitimate caliphs.{{r|what-isis-really-wants}}

The noted scholar of militant Islamism Will McCants writes:

{{quote|text=References to the End Times fill Islamic State propaganda. It's a big selling point with foreign fighters, who want to travel to the lands where the final battles of the apocalypse will take place. The civil wars raging in those countries today [Iraq and Syria] lend credibility to the prophecies. The Islamic State has stoked the apocalyptic fire. [...] For Bin Laden's generation, the apocalypse wasn't a great recruiting pitch. Governments in the Middle East two decades ago were more stable, and sectarianism was more subdued. It was better to recruit by calling to arms against corruption and tyranny than against the Antichrist. Today, though, the apocalyptic recruiting pitch makes more sense than before. |author=William McCants |source=''The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State''<ref>{{Cite book |title=The ISIS Apocalypse: The History, Strategy, and Doomsday Vision of the Islamic State |last=McCants |first=William |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-250-08090-5 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/isisapocalypsehi0000mcca/page/147 147] |url=https://archive.org/details/isisapocalypsehi0000mcca/page/147}}</ref>}}

=== Goals ===
[[File:U.S. Army soldier with captured ISIS flag in Iraq, December 2010.jpg|thumb|U.S. Army soldier with captured [[Religion:Black Standard|ISIL flag]] in Iraq, December 2010]]
Since at latest 2004, a significant goal of the group has been the foundation of a Sunni [[Religion:Islamic state|Islamic state]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/isis-goal-theocracy |title=17 things about ISIS and Iraq you need to know |first=Zack |last=Beauchamp |date=2 September 2014 |website=Vox |access-date=5 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=Abu Mohammad |title=Letter dated 9 July 2005 |url=http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/letter_in_english.pdf |access-date=22 July 2014 |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |at=See page 2 onwards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522153638/http://www.dni.gov/press_releases/letter_in_english.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2011}}</ref> Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as a [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]], an Islamic state led by a group of religious authorities under a supreme leader – the caliph – who is believed to be the successor to Prophet [[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]].<ref name=Johnson14>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=M. Alex |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/deviant-pathological-what-do-isis-extremists-really-want-n194136 |title='Deviant and Pathological': What Do ISIS Extremists Really Want? |date=3 September 2014 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=5 September 2014}}</ref> In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad,{{r|Johnson14}} and upon proclaiming a new caliphate on 29 June, the group appointed al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As caliph, he demands the allegiance of all devout Muslims worldwide, according to Islamic jurisprudence (''[[Religion:Fiqh|fiqh]]'').<ref>{{cite news |url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/inside-story/articles/2014/7/7/isil-s-leader-emergesfromtheshadowswhoisabubakralbaghdadi.html |title=Who is the U.S. targeting in Iraq air strikes? |date=7 July 2014 |first=Laith |last=Kubba |publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref>

ISIL has detailed its goals in its ''Dabiq'' magazine, saying it will continue to seize land and take over the entire Earth until its:

{{quote|text=Blessed flag...covers all eastern and western extents of the Earth, filling the world with the truth and justice of Islam and putting an end to the falsehood and tyranny of jahiliyyah [state of ignorance], even if America and its coalition despise such. |source=5th edition of ''Dabiq'', the Islamic State's English-language magazine<ref name="Joscelyn 2015-09">{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |title=US counterterrorism efforts in Syria: A winning strategy? |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/09/us-counterterrorism-efforts-in-syria-a-winning-strategy.php |work=Long War Journal |date=29 September 2015}}</ref>}}

According to German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer, who spent ten days embedded with ISIL in Mosul, the view he kept hearing was that ISIL wants to "conquer the world", and that all who do not believe in the group's interpretation of the [[Religion:Quran|Quran]] will be killed. Todenhöfer was struck by the ISIL fighters' belief that "all religions who agree with democracy have to die",<ref name=Withnall>{{cite news |last1=Withnall |first1=Adam |title=Middle East. Inside Isis: The first Western journalist ever to be given access to the 'Islamic State' has just returned – and this is what he discovered |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/inside-isis-the-first-western-journalist-ever-given-access-to-the-islamic-state-has-just-returned-9938438.html |access-date=3 October 2015 |work=Independent |date=21 December 2014}}</ref> and by their "incredible enthusiasm" – including enthusiasm for killing "hundreds of millions" of people.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greyvenstein |first1=Hester Maria |title=Q&A: German journalist on surviving ISIL |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/2014/12/qa-german-journalist-surviving-isil-20141224164752725983.html |access-date=4 October 2015 |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=15 January 2015 |quote=Something that I don't understand at all is the enthusiasm in their plan of religious cleansing, planning to kill the non-believers... They also will kill Muslim democrats because they believe that non-ISIL-Muslims put the laws of human beings above the commandments of God. These were very difficult discussions, especially when they were talking about the number of people who they are willing to kill. They were talking about hundreds of millions. They were enthusiastic about it, and I just cannot understand that.}}</ref>

When the caliphate was proclaimed, ISIL stated: "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah's [caliphate's] authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas."{{r|Johnson14}} This was a rejection of the political divisions in Southwestern Asia that were established by the UK and France during [[Social:World War I|World War I]] in the Sykes–Picot Agreement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Tran |first1=Mark |last2=Weaver |first2=Matthew |date=30 June 2014 |title=Isis announces Islamic caliphate in area straddling Iraq and Syria |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/30/isis-announces-islamic-caliphate-iraq-syria |work=The Guardian |access-date=6 July 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=McGrath |first1=Timothy |title=Watch this English-speaking ISIS fighter explain how a 98-year-old colonial map created today's conflict |url=http://www.dailynews.com/general-news/20140702/watch-this-english-speaking-isis-fighter-explain-how-a-98-year-old-colonial-map-created-todays-conflict |access-date=22 July 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times |agency=GlobalPost |date=2 July 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=http://carnegieendowment.org/syriaincrisis/?fa=54017 |title=The Islamic State: Leaving al-Qaeda Behind |first=Romain |last=Caillet |date=27 December 2013 |publisher=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace}}</ref>

All non-Muslim areas would be targeted for conquest after the Muslim lands were dealt with, according to the Islamist manual ''Management of Savagery''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2016/june/1464703200/robert-manne/mind-islamic-state |title=The mind of the Islamic State: An ideology of savagery |magazine=The Monthly |date=June 2016 |first=Robert |last=Manne}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite book |first1=Assaf |last1=Moghadam |first2=Brian |last2=Fishman |title=Fault Lines in Global Jihad: Organizational, Strategic, and Ideological Fissures |url={{Google books|MLE68zW_7LUC|page=PA55|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |date=10 May 2011 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-136-71058-2 |page=55}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite report |editor1-first=Assaf |editor1-last=Moghadam |editor2-first=Brian |editor2-last=Fishman |title=Self-Inflicted Wounds: Debates and Divisions within al-Qa'ida and its Periphery |publisher=Harmony Project, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point |date=16 December 2010 |url=https://www.ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Self-Inflicted-Wounds.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022143707/https://www.ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Self-Inflicted-Wounds.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2016}}</ref>

=== Strategy ===
[[File:Al-Askari Mosque 2006.jpg|thumb|The Al-Askari Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, after the first attack by Islamic State of Iraq in 2006]]
Documents found after the death of Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi, a former colonel in the intelligence service of the {{wipe|Iraqi Air Force}} before the US invasion who had been described as "the strategic head" of ISIL, detailed planning for the ISIL takeover of northern Syria which made possible "the group's later advances into Iraq". Al-Khlifawi called for the infiltration of areas to be conquered with spies who would find out "as much as possible about the target towns: Who lived there, who was in charge, which families were religious, which Islamic school of religious jurisprudence they belonged to, how many mosques there were, who the imam was, how many wives and children he had and how old they were". Following this surveillance and espionage would come murder and kidnapping – "the elimination of every person who might have been a potential leader or opponent". In Raqqa, after rebel forces drove out the Assad regime and ISIL infiltrated the town, "first dozens and then hundreds of people disappeared".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reuter |first1=Christoph |date=18 April 2015 |title=The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/islamic-state-files-show-structure-of-islamist-terror-group-a-1029274.html |work=Der Spiegel}}</ref>

Security and intelligence expert Martin Reardon has described ISIL's purpose as being to psychologically "break" those under its control, "so as to ensure their absolute allegiance through fear and intimidation", while generating "outright hate and vengeance" among its enemies.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Reardon |first1=Martin |title=ISIL and the management of savagery |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2015/07/isil-management-savagery-150705060914471.html |publisher=Al Jazeera English |date=6 July 2015}}</ref> Jason Burke, a journalist writing on [[Religion:Salafi jihadism|Salafi jihadism]], has written that ISIL's goal is to "terrorize, mobilize [and] polarize".<ref name="Gude-2015-3">{{cite book |last1=Gude |first1=Ken |title=Anti-Muslim Sentiment Is a Serious Threat to American Security |date=November 2015 |publisher=Center for American Progress |page=3 |url=https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/25074358/ISISTrap.pdf}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Jason |last=Burke |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/14/islamic-state-goes-global-paris-attacks |title=Islamic State 'Goes Global' with Paris Attacks |work=The Observer |date=14 November 2015}}</ref> Its efforts to terrorise are intended to intimidate civilian populations and force governments of the target enemy "to make rash decisions that they otherwise would not choose". It aims to mobilise its supporters by motivating them with, for example, spectacular deadly attacks deep in Western territory (such as the November 2015 Paris attacks), to polarise by driving Muslim populations – particularly in the West – away from their governments, thus increasing the appeal of ISIL's self-proclaimed caliphate among them, and to: "Eliminate neutral parties through either absorption or elimination".{{r|Gude-2015-3}}<ref>{{cite report |first=Harleen |last=Gambhir |url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/INTSUM_Summary_update.pdf |title=ISIS Global Intelligence Summary: January 7 – February 18 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Institute for the Study of War |date=February 2015}}</ref> Journalist Rukmini Maria Callimachi also emphasises ISIL's interest in polarisation or in eliminating what it calls the "grey zone" between the black (non-Muslims) and white (ISIL). "The gray is moderate Muslims who are living in the West and are happy and feel engaged in the society here."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chotiner |first1=Isaac |title=The ISIS Correspondent [interview with Rukmini Callimachi] |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2016/07/rukmini_callimachi_the_new_york_times_isis_reporter_discusses_her_beat.html |date=12 July 2016 |work=Slate}}</ref>

A work published online in 2004 entitled ''Management of Savagery''<ref>{{cite book |first=Abu Bakr |last=Naji |title=The Management of Savagery: The Most Critical Stage Through Which the Umma Will Pass |date=23 May 2006 |publisher=John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University |url=https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/abu-bakr-naji-the-management-of-savagery-the-most-critical-stage-through-which-the-umma-will-pass.pdf |access-date=20 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413010243/https://azelin.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/abu-bakr-naji-the-management-of-savagery-the-most-critical-stage-through-which-the-umma-will-pass.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> (''Idarat at Tawahoush''), described by several media outlets as influential on ISIL<ref>{{cite news |last=McCoy |first=Terrence |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/12/the-calculated-madness-of-the-islamic-states-horrifying-brutality/ |title=The calculated madness of the Islamic State's horrifying brutality |work=The Washington Post |date=12 August 2014 |access-date=1 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Alastair |last=Crooke |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/iraq-isis-alqaeda_b_5542575.html |title=The ISIS' 'Management of Savagery' in Iraq |work=HuffPost |date=30 June 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Hassan |first=Hassan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/08/isis-islamic-state-ideology-sharia-syria-iraq-jordan-pilot |title=Isis has reached new depths of depravity. But there is a brutal logic behind it |work=The Guardian |date=8 February 2015}}</ref> and intended to provide a strategy to create a new Islamic caliphate,<ref>{{cite news |last=Wright |first=Lawrence |title=ISIS's Savage Strategy in Iraq |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/isiss-savage-strategy-in-iraq |work=The New Yorker |date=16 June 2014 |access-date=1 September 2014}}</ref> recommended a strategy of attack outside its territory in which fighters would "Diversify and widen the vexation strikes against the Crusader-Zionist enemy in every place in the Islamic world, and even outside of it if possible, so as to disperse the efforts of the alliance of the enemy and thus drain it to the greatest extent possible."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Atran |first1=Scott |last2=Hamid |first2=Nafees |title=Paris: The War ISIS Wants |url=http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/nov/16/paris-attacks-isis-strategy-chaos |work=The New York Review of Books |access-date=20 November 2015 |date=16 November 2015}}</ref>

The group has been accused of attempting to "bolster morale" and distract attention from its loss of territory to enemies by staging terror attacks abroad (such as the 2016 Berlin truck attack, the 6 June 2017 attacks on Tehran, the 22 May 2017 bombing in Manchester, and the 3 June 2017 attacks in London that ISIL claimed credit for).<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/world/middleeast/iran-parliament-attack-khomeini-mausoleum.html |title=Iran Assails Saudi Arabia After Pair of Deadly Terrorist Attacks |last=Erdbrink |first=Thomas |date=7 June 2017 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

== Organisation ==
[[Place:Raqqa|Raqqa]] in Syria was under ISIL control from 2013 and in 2014 it became the group's ''de facto'' capital city.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/24/world/middleeast/islamic-state-controls-raqqa-syria.html |date=24 July 2014 |title=Life in a Jihadist Capital: Order With a Darker Side |access-date=5 September 2014 |first=Ben |last=Hubbard |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> On 17 October 2017, following a lengthy battle that saw massive destruction to the city, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the full capture of Raqqa from ISIL.

=== Leadership and governance ===
[[File:Mugshot of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|Mugshot of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by US armed forces while in detention at Camp Bucca in 2004]]
From 2013 to 2019, ISIL was headed and run by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State's self-styled Caliph. Before their deaths, he had two deputy leaders, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani for Iraq and Abu Ali al-Anbari (also known as Abu Ala al-Afri)<ref>{{cite news |first1=Michael |last1=Weiss |first2=Hassan |last2=Hassan |title=Everything We Knew About This ISIS Mastermind Was Wrong |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/15/everything-we-knew-about-this-isis-mastermind-was-wrong.html |work=The Daily Beast |date=15 April 2016 |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502191618/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/04/15/everything-we-knew-about-this-isis-mastermind-was-wrong.html |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> for Syria, both ethnic Turkmen. Advising al-Baghdadi is a cabinet of senior leaders, while its operations in Iraq and Syria are controlled by local 'emirs,' who head semi-autonomous groups which the Islamic State refers to as its provinces.<ref>{{cite web |first=Richard |last=Barrett |title=The Islamic State |url=http://soufangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TSG-The-Islamic-State-Nov14.pdf |website=Soufan Group |date=November 2014 |access-date=23 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713102203/http://soufangroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/TSG-The-Islamic-State-Nov14.pdf |archive-date=13 July 2015 |url-status=dead}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Jack |last=Moore |title=ISIS Replace Injured Leader Baghdadi With Former Physics Teacher |url=http://europe.newsweek.com/isis-replace-injured-leader-baghdadi-former-physics-teacher-324082 |website=Newsweek |date=22 April 2015 |access-date=7 May 2015}}</ref> Beneath the leaders are councils on finance, leadership, military matters, legal matters (including decisions on executions) foreign fighters' assistance, security, intelligence and media. In addition, a [[Religion:Shura|shura]] council has the task of ensuring that all decisions made by the governors and councils comply with the group's interpretation of [[Religion:Sharia|sharia]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thompson |first1=Nick |last2=Shubert |first2=Attika |title=The anatomy of ISIS: How the 'Islamic State' is run, from oil to beheadings |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/meast/isis-syria-iraq-hierarchy/index.html |access-date=21 September 2014 |publisher=CNN |date=18 September 2014}}</ref> While al-Baghdadi has told followers to "advise me when I err" in sermons, according to observers "any threat, opposition, or even contradiction is instantly eradicated".<ref name=NYRoB-7-9-2015>{{cite magazine |last=Ruthven |first=Malise |title=Inside the Islamic State. Review of Islamic State: The Digital Caliphate by Abdel Bari Atwan |magazine=The New York Review of Books |date=9 July 2015 |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/07/09/inside-islamic-state/}}</ref>

According to Iraqis, Syrians and analysts who study the group, almost all of ISIL's leaders—including the members of its military and security committees and the majority of its [[Religion:Emir|emir]]s and princes—are former Iraqi military and intelligence officers, specifically former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath government who lost their jobs and pensions in the de-Ba'athification process after that regime was overthrown.<ref name=Saddam>{{cite news |last=Sly |first=Liz |title=How Saddam Hussein's former military officers and spies are controlling Isis |work=Independent |date=5 April 2015 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/how-saddam-husseins-former-military-officers-and-spies-are-controlling-isis-10156610.html}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Liz |last=Sly |date=4 April 2015 |title=The hidden hand behind the Islamic State militants? Saddam Hussein's |work=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-hidden-hand-behind-the-islamic-state-militants-saddam-husseins/2015/04/04/aa97676c-cc32-11e4-8730-4f473416e759_story.html}}</ref><ref name="nytimes27Aug14">{{cite news |title=Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/28/world/middleeast/army-know-how-seen-as-factor-in-isis-successes.html |work=The New York Times |date=27 August 2014 |access-date=28 August 2014 |first1=Ben |last1=Hubbard |first2=Eric |last2=Schmitt}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Sly |first=Liz |date=5 April 2015 |title=How Saddam Hussein's former military officers and spies are controlling Isis |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/how-saddam-husseins-former-military-officers-and-spies-are-controlling-isis-10156610.html |newspaper=Independent |location=London |access-date=21 April 2015 |quote=But American officials didn't anticipate that they would become not only adjuncts to al-Qaeda, but core members of the jihadist group. They were instrumental in the group's rebirth from the defeats inflicted on insurgents by the US military, which is now back in Iraq bombing many of the same men it had already fought twice before.}}</ref> The former Chief Strategist in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the US State Department, David Kilcullen, has said that "There undeniably would be no Isis if we had not invaded Iraq."<ref>{{cite news |first=Lizzie |last=Dearden |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iraq-war-invasion-caused-isis-islamic-state-daesh-saysus-military-adviser-david-kilcullen-a6912236.html |title=Former US military adviser David Kilcullen says there would be no Isis without Iraq invasion |work=Independent |date=4 March 2016 |access-date=8 March 2016}}</ref>
It has been reported that Iraqis and Syrians have been given greater precedence over other nationalities within ISIL because the group needs the loyalties of the local Sunni populations in both Syria and Iraq in order to be sustainable.<ref>{{cite news |first=Eli |last=Lake |title=Foreign Recruits Are Islamic State's Cannon Fodder |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=11 February 2015 |url=http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-02-11/foreign-fighters-are-islamic-state-s-cannon-fodder}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Iraqis, Saudis call shots in Raqa, ISIL's Syrian 'capital' |publisher=Channel NewsAsia |date=19 June 2014 |url=http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/specialreports/mh370/news/iraqis-saudis-call-shots/1178866.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212174907/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/specialreports/mh370/news/iraqis-saudis-call-shots/1178866.html |archive-date=12 February 2015}}</ref> Other reports, however, have indicated that Syrians are at a disadvantage to foreign members, with some native Syrian fighters resenting "favouritism" allegedly shown towards foreigners over pay and accommodation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Splits in Islamic State Emerge as Its Ranks Expand |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-feels-growing-pains-1425903933 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=9 March 2015 |access-date=11 April 2015 |first=Maria |last=Abi-Habib}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=In Islamic State Stronghold of Raqqa, Foreign Fighters Dominate |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/in-islamic-state-stronghold-of-raqqa-foreign-fighters-dominate-1423087426 |website=The Wall Street Journal |date=4 February 2015 |access-date=11 April 2015 |first=Yaroslav |last=Trofimov}}</ref>

In August 2016, media reports based on briefings by Western intelligence agencies suggested that ISIL had a multilevel secret service known in Arabic as Emni, established in 2014, that has become a combination of an internal police force and an external operations directorate complete with regional branches. The unit was believed to be under the overall command of ISIL's most senior Syrian operative, spokesman and propaganda chief Abu Mohammad al-Adnani<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.france24.com/en/20160804-islamic-state-group-emni-group-exporting-terror-world-europe |title=IS group unit known as 'Emni' aims to export terror around the world – France 24 |date=4 August 2016}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Rukmini |last=Callimachi |title=How a Secretive Branch of ISIS Built a Global Network of Killers |date=3 August 2016 |access-date=7 August 2016 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/04/world/middleeast/isis-german-recruit-interview.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref> until his death by airstrike in late August 2016.<ref name=Chulov310816>{{cite web |first=Martin |last=Chulov |title=Abu Muhammad al-Adnani's death does not signal the demise of Isis |date=31 August 2016 |website=The Guardian |access-date=31 August 2016 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/31/abu-muhammad-al-adnanis-death-does-not-signal-the-demise-of-isis}}</ref>

On 27 October 2019, the United States conducted a special operation targeting al-Baghdadi's compound in Barisha, Idlib, Northwest Syria. The attack resulted in al-Baghdadi's death; caught by surprise and unable to escape, al-Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, deliberately killing both himself and two children who had been living in the compound prior to the assault.{{r|Al Jazeera 2019-10-27||Browne}} U.S. President Donald Trump stated in a televised announcement that Baghdadi had, in fact, died during the operation and that American forces used support from helicopters, jets and drones through airspace controlled by Russia and Turkey.
<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/27/trump-statement-on-isis-baghdadi-raid.html|title=Trump confirms ISIS leader Baghdadi is dead after US raid in Syria — 'He died like a coward'|date=27 October 2019|via=www.cnbc.com}}</ref> He said that "Russia treated us great... Iraq was excellent. We really had great cooperation" and Turkey knew they were going in.<ref name="Perraudin">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2019/oct/27/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-islamic-state-leader-trump-syria|title=Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed in US raid, says Donald Trump – latest updates|first=Frances|last=Perraudin|date=27 October 2019|website=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> He thanked Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq and the Syrian Kurdish forces for their support.{{r|Perraudin}} The Turkish Defence Ministry also confirmed on Sunday that Turkish and U.S. military authorities exchanged and coordinated information ahead of an attack in Syria's Idlib.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1X6096|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027152744/https://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFKBN1X6096|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 October 2019|title=Turkish-U.S. military forces exchanged information ahead of U.S. operation in Syria|date=27 October 2019|website=reuters.com}}<br>{{bullet}}{{Cite tweet |user=tcsavunma |number=1188384346840936448|title=Prior to the US Operation in Idlib Province of Syria last night, information exchange and coordination between the military authorities of both countries took place|date=27 October 2019|author=T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı}}</ref> Fahrettin Altun, a senior aide to Turkish President Tayyib Erdogan, also stated, among other things, that "Turkey was proud to help the United States, our NATO ally, bring a notorious terrorist to justice" and that Turkey "will continue to work closely with the United States and others to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-reaction-fact/factbox-world-reacts-to-announcement-of-islamic-state-leader-baghdadis-death-idUSKBN1X60HS|title=Factbox: World reacts to announcement of Islamic State leader Baghdadi's death|date=27 October 2019|website=www.reuters.com}}</ref> Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if the United States had told Russia about the raid in advance but said that its result if confirmed, represented a serious contribution by the United States to combat terrorism.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump says U.S. may release parts of Baghdadi raid video |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi/russia-guarded-over-baghdadi-killing-world-leaders-say-fight-goes-on-idUSKBN1X71DY |work=Reuters |publisher=Reuters |date=28 October 2019}}</ref> Russia had previously claimed Baghdadi was killed in May 2019 by their airstrike.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Withnall |first1=Adam |title=Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead: Russia says it may have killed Isis leader in Raqqa air strike |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-dead-isis-leader-russia-raqqa-air-strike-killed-syria-islamic-state-chief-a7792801.html |access-date=27 October 2019 |agency=Independent News |publisher=Independent News |date=16 June 2017}}</ref>

In September 2019, a statement attributed to ISIL's propaganda arm, the [[Organization:Amaq News Agency|Amaq news agency]], claimed that Abdullah Qardash was named as al-Baghdadi's successor.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190809-al-baghdadi-nominates-iraqi-abdullah-qardash-as-his-successor-to-lead-daesh/ |title=Al-Baghdadi nominates Iraqi Abdullah Qardash as his successor to lead Daesh |date=9 August 2019 |access-date=15 August 2019 |work=The Middle East Monitor}}<br>{{bullet}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ailing-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-puts-professor-abdullah-qardash-in-charge-of-isis-hz2x5hkff |title=Ailing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi puts 'Professor' Abdullah Qardash in charge of Isis |first=Jordan |last=Siegel |date=22 August 2019 |newspaper=The Times |access-date=27 October 2019 |issn=0140-0460 |publisher=Times Newspapers Limited}}</ref> Analysts dismissed this statement as a fabrication, and relatives were reported as saying that Qardash died in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-isil-191028140353503.html|title=With Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gone, what next for ISIL?|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=29 October 2019|access-date=29 October 2019}}</ref> Rita Katz, a terrorism analyst and the co-founder of SITE Intelligence, noted that the alleged statement used a different font when compared to other statements and it was never distributed on Amaq or ISIL channels.<ref>{{cite tweet |first=Rita |last=Katz |user=Rita_Katz |number=1173998333859381248 |date=17 September 2019 |title=1)ALERT: w/ yesterday's #Baghdadi speech, false articles cont. to circulate about an #Amaq message that reported the successor of #ISIS leader.}}</ref>

On 29 October 2019, Trump stated on social media that al-Baghdadi's "number one replacement" had been killed by American forces, without giving a name.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/trump-al-baghdadi-number-replacement-dead-191029142647917.html |title=Trump says al-Baghdadi's 'number one replacement' is dead |date=29 October 2019 |access-date=29 October 2019 |publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref> A U.S. official later confirmed that Trump was referring to ISIL spokesman and senior leader Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-successor/trump-says-likely-baghdadi-successor-killed-by-us-troops-idUSKBN1X81LG|title=Trump says likely Baghdadi successor killed by U.S. troops|publisher={{wipe|Reuters}}|date=29 October 2019|access-date=29 October 2019}}</ref> who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria two days earlier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/10/u-s-targets-senior-isis-leader-in-northwest-syria/|title=ISIS spokesman Al-Muhajir killed in U.S. airstrike in Syria|publisher=BNO News|date=27 October 2019|access-date=27 October 2019}}</ref> On 31 October, ISIL named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi as Baghdadi's successor.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50254785|title=Islamic State names its new leader|date=31 October 2019|access-date=31 October 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Civilians in ISIL-controlled areas ===
[[File:Near East ISIS controlled areas-fr.svg|thumb|285px|Maximum extent of ISIL's territorial control in Syria and Iraq, on 21 May 2015.{{r|nytimes 2015-05-15}}]]

In 2014 ''The Wall Street Journal'' estimated that eight million people lived in the Islamic State.<ref>{{YouTube | id=1HzMucorCwo | title=The Islamic State: How Its Leadership Is Organized}}</ref> The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has stated that ISIL "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey".<ref name="UNRuleOfTerror">{{cite web |title=Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS in Syria |url=http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/HRC_CRP_ISIS_14Nov2014.pdf |publisher=United Nations Commission on Human Rights |access-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204115327/http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoISyria/HRC_CRP_ISIS_14Nov2014.pdf |archive-date=4 February 2015}}</ref> Civilians, as well as the Islamic State itself, have released footage of some of the human rights abuses.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-hidden-footage-reveals-reality-of-life-in-raqqa-a6928721.html |title=Two women release extraordinary footage of what life is really like living under Isis |work=Independent |date=13 March 2016}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/deserters-describe-life-isil-rule-161010132353949.html |date=13 October 2016 |title=Deserters describe life under ISIL rule |access-date=21 October 2016 |publisher=Al Jazeera English}}</ref>

[[Social:Social control|Social control]] of civilians was by imposition of ISIL's reading of sharia law,<ref name="McCoyTop">{{cite news |last=McCoy |first=Terrence |date=13 June 2013 |title=ISIL, beheadings and the success of horrifying violence |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/13/isis-beheadings-and-the-success-of-horrifying-violence/ |work=The Washington Post |access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> enforced by [[Religion:Islamic religious police|morality police]] forces known as ''Al-Hisbah'' and the all-women Al-Khanssaa Brigade, a general police force, courts, and other ''entities managing recruitment, tribal relations, and education''.{{r|UNRuleOfTerror}} ''Al-Hisbah'' was led by Abu Muhammad al-Jazrawi.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aranews.net/2016/12/islamic-state-replaces-syrian-officials-foreign-jihadists-raqqa/ |title=Islamic State replaces Syrian officials by foreign jihadists in Raqqa |publisher=ARA News |author=Haytham Mustafa |date=31 December 2016 |access-date=31 December 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101091249/http://aranews.net/2016/12/islamic-state-replaces-syrian-officials-foreign-jihadists-raqqa/ |archive-date=1 January 2017}}</ref>

=== Military ===

==== Number of combatants ====
{{Bar chart
| float=right
| title = Country origins of foreign ISIL fighters (500 or more), ICSR estimate, 2018<ref>Cook and Vale. [https://icsr.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Women-in-ISIS-report_20180719_web.pdf "From Daesh to 'Diaspora."] International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation. King's College London. pp.&nbsp;14–19.</ref>
| label_type = Country
| data_type = Fighters
| label1 = Russia | data1 = 5,000
| label2 = Tunisia | data2 = 4,000
| label3 = Jordan | data3 = 3,950
| label4 = Saudi Arabia | data4 = 3,244
| label5 = Turkey | data5 = 3,000
| label6 = Uzbekistan | data6 = 2,500
| label7 = France | data7 = 1,910
| label8 = Morocco | data8 = 1,699
| label9 = Tajikistan | data9 = 1,502
| label10 = China | data10 = 1,000
| label11 = Germany | data11 = 960
| label12 = Lebanon | data12 = 900
| label13 = Azerbaijan | data13 = 900
| label14 = Kyrgyzstan | data14 = 863
| label15 = United Kingdom | data15 = 860
| label16 = Indonesia | data16 = 800
| label17 = Kazakhstan | data17 = 600
| label18 = Libya | data18 = 600
| label19 = Egypt | data19 = 500
| label20 = Turkmenistan | data20 = 500
| label21 = Belgium | data21 = 500
}}

Estimates of the size of ISIL's military have varied widely, from tens of thousands<ref>{{cite web |url=http://top-channel.tv/lajme/artikull.php?id=293580&fundi |title=Sa është numri i xhihadistëve të ISIS-it? |trans-title=How Many Jihadists ISIS? |language=sq |publisher=Top Channel |location=Tirana, Albania |access-date=22 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221165446/http://top-channel.tv/lajme/artikull.php?id=293580&fundi |archive-date=21 February 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> up to 200,000.{{r|Indep161114}}
In early 2015, journalist Mary Anne Weaver estimated that half of ISIL fighters were foreigners.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Weaver |first1=Mary Anne |title=Her Majesty's Jihadists |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magazine/her-majestys-jihadists.html |access-date=14 April 2015 |work=The New York Times |date=19 April 2015}}</ref> A UN report estimated a total of 15,000 fighters from over 80 countries were in ISIL's ranks in November 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/571503/20141103/isis-un-report-haaretz-caliphate-security-council.htm |title=UN Report on 15,000 Foreigners Joining ISIS Fighters in Syria And Iraq Will Shock You |work=International Business Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110162633/http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/571503/20141103/isis-un-report-haaretz-caliphate-security-council.htm |archive-date=10 November 2014}}</ref> US intelligence estimated an increase to around 20,000 foreign fighters in February 2015, including 3,400 from the Western world.<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Windrem |title=ISIS By the Numbers: Foreign Fighter Total Keeps Growing |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/isis-numbers-foreign-fighter-total-keeps-growing-n314731 |publisher=NBC News |date=28 February 2015 |access-date=10 December 2015}}</ref> In September 2015, the CIA estimated that 30,000 foreign fighters had joined ISIL.<ref>Sarhan, Arme. "CIA: 30,000 foreign fighters have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS". Iraq News. 29 September 2015.</ref>

According to Abu Hajjar, a former senior leader of ISIL, foreign fighters receive food, petrol and housing, but unlike native Iraqi or Syrian fighters, they do not receive payment in wages.<ref>{{cite news |title=World's Richest Terror Army |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05s4ytp/this-world-worlds-richest-terror-army |publisher=BBC |date=24 April 2015 |page=25:06 – within a 59 minute programme |quote=excerpt from, interview with Abu Hajjar, a former "senior leader of IS": "How much money would a foreign fighter receive as a wage?" "A foreigner? They aren't given a salary. They are given food and housing, not money."}}</ref> Since 2012, more than 3000 people from the central Asian countries have gone to Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan to join the Islamic State or Jabhat al Nusra.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/09/17/kyrgyzstan-abusive-crackdowns-extremist-material |title=Kyrgyzstan: Abusive Crackdowns on 'Extremist' Material |date=17 September 2018 |website=Human Rights Watch}}</ref>{{anchor|Equipment}}

==== Conventional weapons ====
ISIL relies mostly on captured weapons with major sources including Saddam Hussein's Iraqi stockpiles from the 2003–11 Iraq insurgency<ref>{{cite news |title=Insight into How Insurgents Fought in Iraq |url=http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/17/insight-into-how-insurgents-fought-in-iraq/ |date=17 October 2013 |work=The New York Times |access-date=22 August 2014 |first=John |last=Ismay}}</ref> and weapons from government and opposition forces fighting in the Syrian Civil War and during the post-US withdrawal Iraqi insurgency. The captured weapons, including armour, guns, surface-to-air missiles, and even some aircraft, enabled rapid territorial growth and facilitated the capture of additional equipment.<ref>{{cite news |first=Charles |last=Lister |title=Not Just Iraq: The Islamic State Is Also on the March in Syria |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-lister/not-just-iraq-the-islamic_b_5658048.html |work=HuffPost |date=7 August 2014 |access-date=11 August 2014}}</ref> For example, ISIL captured US-made TOW anti-tank missiles supplied by the United States and Saudi Arabia to the Free Syrian Army in Syria.<ref>"[http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-used-us-made-anti-tank-missiles-near-palmyra-2015-6 ISIS used US-made anti-tank missiles near Palmyra]". ''Business Insider''. 9 June 2015.<br>{{bullet}}"[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/07/10/world/u-s-missile-brought-russian-helicopter-syria-report/ U.S. missile brought down Russian helicopter in Syria: report]". ''Japan Times''. 10 July 2016.</ref> Ninety percent of the group's weapons ultimately originated in China, Russia or [[Place:Eastern Europe|Eastern Europe]] according to [[Engineering:Conflict Armament Research|Conflict Armament Research]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Crawford|first1=Jamie|title=Report details where ISIS gets its weapons|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/14/politics/isis-weapons-report/index.html|access-date=27 December 2017|publisher=CNN|date=14 December 2017}}</ref>

==== Non-conventional weapons ====
The group uses truck and car bombs, suicide bombers and IEDs, and has used [[Chemistry:Chemical weapon|chemical weapon]]s in Iraq and Syria.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/sm103.aspx |publisher=United States Department of the Treasury |title=Treasury Targets ISIS Leader Involved in Chemical Weapons Development |date=12 June 2017 |quote=Al-Jaburi is an Iraq-based, ISIS senior leader in charge of factories producing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs), and explosives, and he is involved in the development of chemical weapons}}</ref> ISIL captured nuclear materials from Mosul University in July 2014, but is unlikely to be able to convert them into weapons.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cowell |first1=Alan |title=Low-Grade Nuclear Material Is Seized by Rebels in Iraq, U.N. Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/11/world/middleeast/iraq.html |access-date=15 July 2014 |work=The New York Times |date=10 July 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=Sherlock |first1=Ruth |title=Iraq jihadists seize 'nuclear material', says ambassador to UN |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10958388/Iraq-jihadists-seize-nuclear-material-says-ambassador-to-UN.html |access-date=15 July 2014 |work=The Telegraph |date=10 July 2014 |location=London}}</ref>
In September 2015 a US official stated that ISIL was manufacturing and using mustard agent in Syria and Iraq, and had an active chemical weapons research team.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-34211838 |title=US official: 'IS making and using chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria' |first=Paul |last=Blake |publisher=BBC |date=11 September 2015 |access-date=16 September 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-manufacturing-and-using-chemical-weapons-in-iraq-and-syria-us-official-claims-10496094.html |title=Isis 'manufacturing and using chemical weapons' in Iraq and Syria, US official claims |first=Lizzie |last=Dearden |newspaper=Independent |location=London |date=11 September 2015 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref> ISIL has also used water as a weapon of war. The group closed the gates of the smaller Nuaimiyah dam in Fallujah in April 2014, flooding the surrounding regions, while cutting the water supply to the Shia-dominated south. Around 12,000 families lost their homes and {{convert|200|km2|mi2}} of villages and fields were either flooded or dried up. The economy of the region also suffered with destruction of cropland and electricity shortages.<ref>{{cite report |title=Water and Violence Link: Crisis of Survival in the Middle East |url=http://strategicforesight.com/publication_pdf/63948150123-web.pdf |publisher=Strategic Foresight |location=Mumbai, India |date=December 2014 |isbn=978-81-88262-24-3}}</ref>
[[File:Captured ISIL fighter in Saladin Governorate (4).jpg|thumb|right|An ISIL fighter captured by Iraqi Security Forces near [[Place:Tikrit|Tikrit]], 2015]]

During the Battle of Mosul, commercially available [[Engineering:Quadcopter|quadcopter]]s and [[Engineering:Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones]] were being used by ISIL as surveillance and weapons delivery platforms using improvised cradles to drop grenades and other explosives.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://defense-update.com/20161012_drone_attacks.html |title=Weaponized Mini-Drones Entering the Fight |last=Eshel |first=Tamir |date=12 October 2016 |website=Defense Update |access-date=25 February 2017}}</ref> One ISIL drone base was struck and destroyed by two Royal Air Force [[Engineering:Panavia Tornado|Tornado]] using two Paveway IV guided bombs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://defense-update.com/20170117_drones_attacked.html |title=RAF Strikes Daesh Drone Facility in Mosul |last=Eshel |first=Tamir |date=17 January 2017 |website=Defense Update |access-date=25 February 2017}}</ref>

=== Non-combatant recruits ===
Although ISIL attracts followers from different parts of the world by promoting the image of holy war, not all of its recruits end up in combatant roles. There have been several cases of new recruits expecting to be ''mujahideen'' who have returned from Syria disappointed by the everyday jobs that were assigned to them.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

=== Women ===
ISIL publishes material directed at women, with media groups encouraging them to play supportive roles within ISIL, such as providing first aid, cooking, nursing and sewing skills, in order to become "good wives of jihad".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-now-targeting-women-with-guides-on-how-to-be-the-ultimate-wives-of-jihad-9830562.html |title=Isis now targeting women with guides on how to be the 'ultimate wives of jihad' |date=31 October 2014 |access-date=22 January 2015 |location=London |work=Independent |first=Heather |last=Saul}}</ref> In 2015, it was estimated that western women made up over 550, or 10%, of ISIL's western foreign fighters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Perešin |first1=Anita |title=Fatal Attraction: Western Muslimas and ISIS |journal=Perspectives on Terrorism |date=2015 |volume=9 |issue=3 |page=22 |issn=2334-3745|quote=The exact number of Muslim women from the West who joined ISIS is still not officially confirmed. It is estimated that their number exceeds 550, or that they represent 10 percent of the number of all ISIS' Western foreign fighters.|jstor=26297379}}</ref>

Until 2016, women were generally confined to a "women's house" upon arrival which they were forbidden to leave. These houses were often small, dirty and infested with vermin and food supply was scarce. There they remained until they either had found a husband, or the husband they arrived with had completed his training. After being allowed to leave the confinement, women still generally spent most of their days indoors where their lives are devoted to caring for their husbands and the vast majority of women in the conflict area have children. Mothers play an important role passing on ISIL ideology to their children. Widows are encouraged to remarry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.aivd.nl/publications/publications/2017/12/14/publication-jihadist-women-a-threat-not-to-be-underestimated|title=Jihadist women, a threat not to be underestimated – Publication – pdf|last=Koninkrijksrelaties|first=Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en|date=14 December 2017|publisher=AIVD|page=6|language=en-GB|access-date=1 December 2018}}</ref>

In a document entitled ''Women in the Islamic State: Manifesto and Case Study'' released by the media wing of ISIL's all-female Al-Khanssaa Brigade, emphasis is given to the paramount importance of marriage and motherhood (as early as nine years old). Women should live a life of "sedentariness", fulfilling her "divine duty of motherhood" at home, with a few exceptions like teachers and doctors.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Abdul-Alim |first1=Jamaal |title=ISIS 'Manifesto' Spells Out Role for Women |magazine=The Atlantic |date=8 March 2015 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/03/isis-manifesto-spells-out-role-for-women/387049/ |access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="quilliam-women">{{cite web |last1=Winter |first1=Charlie |title=QUILLIAM Translation and Analysis of Islamic State Manifesto on Jihadist Brides |url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press/quilliam-translation-and-analysis-of-islamic-state-manifesto-on-jihadist-brides/ |publisher=Quilliam Foundation |access-date=23 November 2015 |date=5 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119055307/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press/quilliam-translation-and-analysis-of-islamic-state-manifesto-on-jihadist-brides/ |archive-date=19 January 2016}}</ref> Equality for women is opposed, as is education on non-religious subjects, the "worthless worldly sciences".{{r|quilliam-women}}

=== Communications ===

==== {{visible anchor|Propaganda|Propaganda and social media}} ====
ISIL is known for its extensive and effective use of [[Social:Propaganda|propaganda]].<ref name="ft-20140617">{{cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/69e70954-f639-11e3-a038-00144feabdc0.html?—ftcamp=crm/email/2014617/nbe/AsiaMorningHeadlines/product |title=Selling terror: how Isis details its brutality |date=17 June 2014 |last2=Jones |first2=Sam |first1=Roula |last1=Khalaf |newspaper=Financial Times |access-date=18 June 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Stone |first=Jeff |date=17 June 2014 |title=ISIS Attacks Twitter Streams, Hacks Accounts To Make Jihadi Message Go Viral |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-attacks-twitter-streams-hacks-accounts-make-jihadi-message-go-viral-1603842 |newspaper=International Business Times |access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> It uses a version of the Muslim [[Religion:Black Standard|Black Standard]] flag and developed an emblem which has clear symbolic meaning in the Muslim world.{{r|time-2014-09-09}}

Videos by ISIL are commonly accompanied by [[Religion:Nasheed|nasheed]]s (chants), notable examples being the chant Dawlat al-Islam Qamat, which came to be viewed as an unofficial anthem of ISIL,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Marshall|first=Alex|date=9 November 2014|title=How Isis got its anthem|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/nasheed-how-isis-got-its-anthem|access-date=8 September 2020|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=29 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829004843/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/nov/09/nasheed-how-isis-got-its-anthem}}</ref> and Salil al-sawarim.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schatz|first=Bryan|title=Inside the world of jihadi propaganda music|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/isis-islamic-state-baghdadi-music-jihad-nasheeds/|access-date=8 September 2020|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US}}</ref>

ISIL, in a mid-March 2020 ''Al-Naba'' article, described the fearful reaction to [[Medicine:COVID-19|COVID-19]] as a divinely wrought "painful torment" against Western "crusader nations".<ref>{{cite news |title=Coronavirus: 'Islamic State' seeks to profit from pandemic |url=https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-islamic-state-seeks-to-profit-from-pandemic/a-52886753 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=23 March 2020}}</ref> An early February article praised God for the same against Iran's [[Religion:Shia Islam|Shiites]] and China.<ref>{{cite news |title='Divine Retribution': The Islamic State's COVID-19 Propaganda |url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/divine-retribution-the-islamic-states-covid-19-propaganda/ |work=The Diplomat |date=24 March 2020}}</ref>

==== Traditional media ====
{{anchor|Ajnad Foundation for Media Production}}
In November 2006, shortly after the group's rebranding as the "Islamic State of Iraq", it established the Al-Furqan Foundation for Media Production, which produces CDs, DVDs, posters, pamphlets, and web-related propaganda products and official statements.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Roggio |title=US targets al Qaeda's al Furqan media wing in Iraq |work=Long War Journal |date=28 October 2007 |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/10/us_targets_al_qaedas.php}}</ref> It began to expand its media presence in 2013, with the formation of a second media wing, Al-I'tisam Media Foundation, in March<ref name="Bilger 2014 p1">{{Harvnb|Bilger|2014|p=1}}.{{full citation needed|date=September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Zelin |first=Aaron Y. |title=New statement from the Global Islamic Media Front: Announcement on the Publishing of al-I'tiṣām Media Foundation – A Subsidiary of the Islamic State of Iraq – It Will Be Released Via GIMF |url= https://jihadology.net/2013/03/08/new-statement-from-the-global-islamic-media-front-announcement-on-the-publishing-of-al-itiṣam-media-foundation-a-subsidiary-of-the-islamic-state-of-iraq-it-will-be-released-via-gimf/ |work=Jihadology |date=8 March 2013 |access-date=24 June 2014}}</ref> and the Ajnad Foundation for Media Production, established in January 2014, which specialises in acoustics production from a [[Religion:Nasheed|nasheed]], quranic recitation.<ref>{{Cite book | last=مصطفى|first=أحمد عبد الرحمن| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnZaDwAAQBAJ&q=%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%B3%D8%B3%D8%A9%20%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AF&pg=PT203| title=داعش من الزنزانة إلى الخلافة|  date=18 March 2015|publisher=حروف منثورة للنشر الإلكتروني| language=ar}}</ref>  On 4 May 2016 Al-Bitar Foundation launched an application on Android called "Ajnad" that allows its users to listen to the songs of the Ajnad Foundation on their mobile phones. The foundation has many singers, the most famous of whom are Abu Yasir and Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir.)<ref>{{cite web |last=Zelin |first=Aaron Y. |url=http://jihadology.net/2013/08/20/new-statement-from-the-islamic-state-of-iraq-and-al-sham-announcing-ajnad-foundation-for-media-production/ |title=New statement from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shām: "Announcing Ajnād Foundation For Media Production" |work=Jihadology |date=20 August 2013 |access-date=8 June 2015}}</ref>

In mid-2014, ISIL established the Al Hayat Media Center, which targets Western audiences and produces material in English, German, Russian and French.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gertz |first=Bill |title=New Al Qaeda Group Produces Recruitment Material for Americans, Westerners |url=http://freebeacon.com/national-security/new-al-qaeda-group-produces-recruitment-material-for-americans-westerners/ |work=The Washington Free Beacon |date=13 June 2014 |access-date=24 June 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=ISIS Declares Islamic Caliphate, Appoints Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi As 'Caliph', Declares All Muslims Must Pledge Allegiance To Him |url=http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8049.htm |publisher=MEMRI |date=30 June 2014}}</ref> When ISIL announced its expansion to other countries in November 2014 it established media departments for the new branches, and its media apparatus ensured that the new branches follow the same models it uses in Iraq and Syria.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Islamic State's model |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/01/28/the-islamic-states-model/ |access-date=30 March 2015 |work=The Washington Post |date=28 January 2015 |first=Aaron Y. |last=Zelin}}</ref> Then FBI Director James Comey said that ISIL's "propaganda is unusually slick," noting that, "They are broadcasting... in something like 23 languages".<ref>{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Kevin |date=8 December 2014 |title=Three American teens, recruited online, are caught trying to join the Islamic State |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/three-american-teens-recruited-online-are-caught-trying-to-join-the-islamic-state/2014/12/08/8022e6c4-7afb-11e4-84d4-7c896b90abdc_story.html |work=The Washington Post}}</ref>

In July 2014, al-Hayat began publishing a digital magazine called ''Dabiq'', in a number of different languages including English.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Islam and the Islamic State's Magazine, Dabiq |first=Tim |last=Jacoby |doi=10.1017/S1755048318000561 |publisher={{wipe|Cambridge University Press}} |date=14 August 2018 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=32–54 |journal=Cambridge Core|s2cid=149567198 |url=https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/islam-and-the-islamic-states-magazine-dabiq(f0654dc9-9323-4f36-88e7-7b9ea08743cd).html}}</ref> According to the magazine, its name is taken from the town of Dabiq in northern Syria, which is mentioned in a [[Religion:Hadith|hadith]] about [[Religion:Islamic eschatology|Armageddon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dabiq: What Islamic State's New Magazine Tells Us about Their Strategic Direction, Recruitment Patterns and Guerrilla Doctrine |url= https://jamestown.org/program/hot-issue-dabiq-what-islamic-states-new-magazine-tells-us-about-their-strategic-direction-recruitment-patterns-and-guerrilla-doctrine/ |publisher=The Jamestown Foundation |date=1 August 2014 |access-date=9 August 2019}}</ref> Al-Hayat also began publishing other digital magazines, including the Turkish language ''Konstantiniyye'', the Ottoman word for Istanbul,<ref>{{cite web |last=Akkoc |first=Raziye |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11926022/Ankara-bombings-Islamic-State-is-main-suspect-says-Turkish-PM-Ahmet-Davutoglu.html |title=Ankara bombings: Islamic State is main suspect, says Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=12 October 2015 |access-date=2 December 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Isabel |last=Hunter |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/suruc-bombings-turkish-president-accused-of-not-doing-enough-to-help-kurds-fight-isis-threat-across-10408839.html |title=Suruc bombings: Turkish President accused of not doing enough to help Kurds fight Isis threat across its border in Syria |work=Independent |date=22 July 2015 |access-date=2 December 2015}}</ref> and the French language ''Dar al-Islam''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jihadists Release First Issue of Pro-IS French Magazine "Dar al-Islam" |publisher=SITE Intelligence Group |date=22 December 2014 |access-date=31 March 2016 |url=https://ent.siteintelgroup.com/Periodicals/jihadists-release-first-issue-of-pro-is-french-magazine-dar-al-islam.html}}</ref> By late 2016, these magazines had apparently all been discontinued, with Al-Hayat's material being consolidated into a new magazine called ''Rumiyah'' (Arabic for Rome).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/ISW%20The%20Virtual%20Caliphate%20Gambhir%202016.pdf |title=The Virtual Caliphate: ISIS'S Information Warfare |publisher=Institute for the Study of War|access-date=7 February 2017 |quote=As of late 2016, Rumiyah has apparently supplanted other internationally oriented publications, as al-Hayat has ceased publishing them}}</ref>

The group also runs a radio network called Al-Bayan, which airs bulletins in Arabic, Russian and English and provides coverage of its activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya.<ref>{{cite news |title=Islamic State launches English-language radio bulletins |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11519977/Islamic-State-launches-English-language-radio-news-bulletins.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=18 May 2015 |location=London |date=7 April 2015}}</ref>

==== Social media ====
ISIL's use of [[Social:Social media|social media]] has been described by one expert as "probably more sophisticated than [that of] most US companies".{{r|ft-20140617}}<ref name="Atlantic socmedia">{{cite web |last=Berger |first=J. M. |date=16 June 2014 |title=How ISIS Games Twitter |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/06/isis-iraq-twitter-social-media-strategy/372856/ |work=The Atlantic |access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> It regularly uses social media, particularly [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]], to distribute its messages.{{r|Atlantic socmedia}}<ref>{{cite web |title=ISIS Propaganda Campaign Threatens U.S. |url=http://blog.adl.org/extremism/isis-propaganda-campaign-threatens-u-s |date=27 June 2014 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=27 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629081405/http://blog.adl.org/extremism/isis-propaganda-campaign-threatens-u-s |archive-date=29 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The group uses the encrypted instant messaging service [[Software:Telegram|Telegram]] to disseminate images, videos and updates.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/isis-telegram-channel-doubles-followers-172356843.html |title=Isis Telegram channel doubles followers to 9,000 in less than 1 week |date=12 October 2015 |via=Yahoo News}}</ref>

The group is known for releasing videos and photographs of executions of prisoners, whether beheadings, shootings, caged prisoners being burnt alive or submerged gradually until drowned.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ian |last2=Hanna |first2=Jason |title=Croatian ISIS captive reportedly beheaded |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/12/middleeast/isis-croatian-hostage/ |access-date=12 August 2015 |publisher=CNN |date=12 August 2015}}</ref> Journalist Abdel Bari Atwan described ISIL's media content as part of a "systematically applied policy". The escalating violence of its killings "guarantees" the attention of the media and public.{{r|NYRoB-7-9-2015}}

Along with images of brutality, ISIL presents itself as "an emotionally attractive place where people 'belong', where everyone is a 'brother' or 'sister'". The "most potent psychological pitch" of ISIL media is the promise of heavenly reward to dead jihadist fighters. Frequently posted in their media are dead jihadists' smiling faces, the ISIL 'salute' of a 'right-hand index finger pointing heavenward', and testimonies of happy widows.{{r|NYRoB-7-9-2015}} ISIL has also attempted to present a more "rational argument" in a series of videos hosted by the kidnapped journalist John Cantlie. In one video, various current and former US officials were quoted, such as the then US President [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]] and former CIA Officer Michael Scheuer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walsh |first1=Michael |title=ISIS releases second 'lecture video' of British hostage John Cantlie |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/isis-releases-lecture-video-british-hostage-john-cantlie-article-1.1949195 |access-date=6 October 2014 |work=Daily News |location=New York |date=23 September 2014}}</ref>

It has encouraged sympathisers to initiate vehicle-ramming and attacks worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Thomas |last1=Hegghammer |first2=Petter |last2=Nesser |title=Assessing the Islamic State's Commitment to Attacking the West |journal=Perspectives on Terrorism |publisher=Terrorism Research Initiative |volume=9 |issue=4 |date=9 July 2015 |issn=2334-3745 |url=http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/440}}</ref>

=== Finances ===
According to a 2015 study by the [[Finance:Financial Action Task Force|Financial Action Task Force]], ISIL's five primary sources of revenue are as follows (listed in order of significance):
* proceeds from the occupation of territory (including control of banks, petroleum reservoirs, taxation, extortion, and robbery of economic assets)
* kidnapping for ransom<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34312450 |title=Inside the Islamic State kidnap machine |date=22 September 2015 |work=BBC News|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>
* donations from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other Gulf states, often disguised as meant for "humanitarian charity"
* material support provided by foreign fighters
* fundraising through modern communication networks<ref name = FATF>{{cite news |title=Financing of the Terrorist Organisation Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant |url=http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/reports/Financing-of-the-terrorist-organisation-ISIL.pdf |access-date=19 April 2015 |publisher=Financial Action Task Force |date=February 2015}}</ref>

Since 2012, ISIL has produced annual reports giving numerical information on its operations, somewhat in the style of corporate reports, seemingly in a bid to encourage potential donors.{{r|ft-20140617}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.vox.com/2014/6/24/5834068/the-iraqi-rebels-make-annual-reports-with-infographics-we-translated |title=The surreal infographics ISIS is producing, translated |date=24 July 2014 |publisher=Vox |last1=Matthews |first1=Dylan |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

In 2014, the [[Organization:RAND Corporation|RAND Corporation]] analysed ISIL's funding sources from documents captured between 2005 and 2010.<ref name="ISIfunding">{{cite news |last=Allam |first=Hannah |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/06/23/231223/records-show-how-iraqi-extremists.html |title=Records show how Iraqi extremists withstood U.S. anti-terror efforts |publisher=McClatchy News |date=23 June 2014 |access-date=25 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625142039/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/06/23/231223/records-show-how-iraqi-extremists.html |archive-date=25 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> It found that outside donations amounted to only 5% of the group's operating budgets,{{r|ISIfunding}} and that cells inside Iraq were required to send up to 20% of the income generated from kidnapping, extortion rackets and other activities to the next level of the group's leadership, which would then redistribute the funds to provincial or local cells that were in difficulties or needed money to conduct attacks.{{r|ISIfunding}} In 2016, RAND estimated that ISIL finances from its largest source of income — oil revenues and the taxes it extracts from people under its control — had fallen from about {{US$|1.9}}{{nbsp}}billion in 2014 to {{US$|870}}{{nbsp}}million in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/12/opinion/man-without-an-isis-plan.html |title=Man Without an ISIS Plan |last=The Editorial Board |date=12 March 2017 |work=The New York Times|access-date=13 March 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In mid-2014, the Iraqi National Intelligence Service obtained information that ISIL had assets worth {{US$|2}}{{nbsp}}billion,<ref>{{cite news |last=Chulov |first=Martin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/15/iraq-isis-arrest-jihadists-wealth-power |title=How an arrest in Iraq revealed Isis's $2bn jihadist network |date=15 June 2014 |work=The Guardian |access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref> making it the richest jihadist group in the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moore |first=Jack |date=11 June 2014 |title=Mosul Seized: Jihadis Loot $429m from City's Central Bank to Make Isis World's Richest Terror Force |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mosul-seized-jihadis-loot-429m-citys-central-bank-make-isis-worlds-richest-terror-force-1452190 |newspaper=International Business Times |access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> About three-quarters of this sum was said to looted from Mosul's central bank and commercial banks in the city.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCoy |first=Terrence |date=12 June 2014 |title=ISIS just stole $425 million, Iraqi governor says, and became the 'world's richest terrorist group' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/12/isis-just-stole-425-million-and-became-the-worlds-richest-terrorist-group |work=The Washington Post |access-date=18 June 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=Carey |first1=Glen |last2=Haboush |first2=Mahmoud |last3=Viscusi |first3=Gregory |title=Financing Jihad: Why ISIS Is a Lot Richer Than Al-Qaeda |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-26/looted-banks-fund-iraq-fighters-eyeing-wealth-al-qaeda-never-had.html |access-date=19 July 2014 |publisher=Bloomberg News |date=26 June 2014}}</ref> However, doubt was later cast on whether ISIL was able to retrieve anywhere near that sum from the central bank,<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Windrem |title=U.S. Official Doubts ISIS Mosul Bank Heist Windfall |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/u-s-official-doubts-isis-mosul-bank-heist-windfall-n139846 |access-date=22 July 2014 |publisher=NBC News |date=24 June 2014}}</ref> and even on whether the looting had actually occurred.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Daragahi |first1=Borzou |title=Biggest bank robbery that 'never happened' – $400m Isis heist |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0378d4f4-0c28-11e4-9080-00144feabdc0.html |access-date=21 July 2014 |work=Financial Times |date=17 July 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==== Monetary system ====
{{Main|Finance:Modern gold dinar}}
ISIL attempted to create a [[Finance:Modern gold dinar|modern gold dinar]] by minting gold, silver, and copper coins, based on the coinage used by the [[Place:Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad Caliphate]] in the 7th century.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/14/isis-gold-silver-copper-islamic-dinar-coins |title=Isis to mint own Islamic dinar coins in gold, silver and copper |work=The Guardian |date=21 November 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |title=Islamic State reportedly buying silver, gold as it prepares to issue currency |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article24776572.html |work=McClatchy |access-date=21 November 2014 |date=20 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716031031/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article24776572.html |archive-date=16 July 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Islamic State announces its own currency |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11230324/Islamic-State-announces-its-own-currency.html |work=The Telegraph |access-date=21 November 2014 |date=14 November 2014 |location=London |first=Josie |last=Ensor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141117074745/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11230324/Islamic-State-announces-its-own-currency.html |archive-date=17 November 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Marwan |last=Jabbar |work=Niqash |url=http://www.niqash.org/en/articles/economy/5097/Islamic-State-Release-Their-Own-'Fake'-Currency.htm |title=Gold at End of Extremist Rainbow: Islamic State Release Their Own 'Fake' Currency |location=Baghdad |date=3 September 2015}}</ref> Despite a propaganda push for the currency, adoption appeared to have been minimal and its internal economy was effectively dollarised, even with regards to its own fines.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dearden|first1=Lizzie|title=Isis fails to bring in own currency, relies on 'satanic' US dollars instead|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-attempt-to-topple-us-economy-with-own-currency-failing-as-reliance-on-american-dollars-a6952566.html|access-date=6 March 2018|work=The Independent|date=25 March 2016}}</ref>

==== Education ====
The education in ISIL held territory was organised by the Diwan of Education.<ref name="Qaddour 2017-10-13">{{Cite news|last=Qaddour|first=Kinana|date=13 October 2017 |title=Inside ISIS' Dysfunctional Schools|language=en-US|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/syria/2017-10-13/inside-isis-dysfunctional-schools|work=Foreign Affairs|issn=0015-7120}}</ref><ref name="Education in Mosul">{{Cite report|title=Education in Mosul under the Islamic State (ISIS) 2015–2016|url=https://www.campaignforeducation.org/docs/reports/ISIS%20in%20Iraq_2015%20-%202016%20Education%20in%20Mosul_English_FINAL.pdf|via=Global Campaign for Education|publisher=Iraqi Institution for Development|access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> ISIL introduced its own curriculum which did not  include lessons in history, music, geography or art, but included lectures in Islamic Law, [[Religion:Sharia|Sharia]], and [[Religion:Jihad|Jihad]].{{r|Education in Mosul}} The Diwan of Education was often in competition with the Diwan of Outreach and Mosques which organised educational centres focused on the sharia.{{r|Qaddour 2017-10-13}}

== History ==
{{anchor|JTJ}}
[[File:UNOfficeofHumanitarianCoordinator-Baghdad (UN DF-SD-04-02188).jpg|thumb|The UN headquarters building in Baghdad after the Canal Hotel bombing, on 22 August 2003]]

The group was founded in 1999 by Jordanian Salafi jihadist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi under the name ''Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād'' ({{Literal translation|"The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad"}}).{{r|winepJune14}} In a letter published by the Coalition in February 2004, Zarqawi wrote that jihadis should use bombings to start an open sectarian war so that Sunnis from the Islamic world would mobilise against assassinations carried out by Shia, specifically the Badr Brigade, against Ba'athists and Sunnis.<ref>[http://2001-2009.state.gov/p/nea/rls/31694.htm "Zarqawi Letter"] ''State Dept. archives''</ref>

== Territorial control and claims ==
{{anchor|territorial claims}}
[[File:Libyan Civil War.png|thumb|200px|Military situation in Libya in early 2016:<br />11px Ansar al-Sharia 11px ISIL]]
As a self-proclaimed worldwide [[Religion:Caliphate|caliphate]], ISIL claims religious, political and military authority over all Muslims worldwide,{{r|What does ISIS' declaration of a caliphate mean}} and that "the legality of all emirates, groups, states, and organisations, becomes null by the expansion of the khilāfah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas".{{r|Johnson14}}

In Iraq and Syria, ISIL used many of those countries' existing governorate boundaries to subdivide territory it conquered and claimed; it called these divisions wilayah or provinces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/ISIS_Governance.pdf |title=ISIS Governance in Syria |date=July 2014 |first1=Charles C. |last1=Caris |first2=Samuel |last2=Reynolds |publisher=Institute for the Study of War}}</ref> By June 2015, ISIL had also established official "provinces" in Libya, Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Algeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and the North Caucasus.<ref>{{cite news |title=Islamic State moves in on al-Qaeda turf |work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-31064300 |date=25 June 2015 |access-date=7 July 2015}}</ref> ISIL received pledges of allegiance and publish media releases via groups in Somalia,<ref>{{cite news |title=Islamic State in Somalia claims capture of port town |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/10/islamic-state-in-somalia-claims-capture-of-port-town.php |first=Caleb |last=Weiss |work=The Long War Journal |date=26 October 2016}}</ref> Bangladesh<ref>{{cite journal |title=How Bangladesh Became Fertile Ground for al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State |url=https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/how-bangladesh-became-fertile-ground-for-al-qaida-and-the-islamic-state |first=Animesh |last=Roul |journal=CTC Sentinel |publisher=Combating Terrorism Center at West Point |date=May 2016|volume=9|issue=5}}</ref> and the Philippines,<ref>{{cite news |title=The Islamic State grows in the Philippines |first=Caleb |last=Weiss |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/06/islamic-state-officially-creates-province-in-the-philippines.php |work=The Long War Journal |date=24 June 2016}}</ref> but it has not announced any further official branches, instead identifying new affiliates as simply "soldiers of the caliphate".<ref>{{cite web |first=Charlie |last=Winter |website=War on the Rocks |title=Has the Islamic State Abandoned Its Provincial Model in the Philippines? |date=22 July 2016 |url=http://warontherocks.com/2016/07/has-the-islamic-state-abandoned-its-provincial-model-in-the-philippines/}}</ref>
[[File:Destroyed neighborhood in Raqqa.png|thumb| ISIL's capital Raqqa suffered extensive damage during the battle of Raqqa in June–October 2017]]
By March 2019, ISIL had lost most of its territory in its former core areas in Syria and Iraq, and was reduced to a desert pocket as well as insurgent cells,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=117051 |title=Although they have been besieged by Russia, Iran, and the regime for two years, thousands of ISIS members are still within an area of 4000 km<sup>2</sup> without any intention to launch a military operation against them |work=Syrian Observatory for Human Rights |date=20 February 2019}}</ref> which they lost in September 2020.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

Through late 2020 and early 2021, ISIL's African affiliates had once again seized territory and settlements in conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency, in Nigeria and the Insurgency in Cabo Delgado, in Mozambique. Notable take overs by ISIL include Mocímboa da Praia and the Sambisa Forest.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-08-12-mocimboa-da-praia-islamic-state-insurgents-recapture-strategic-port-town/|title=Mozambique: Mocimboa da Praia: Islamic State insurgents recapture strategic port town|first=Peter|last=Fabricius|date=12 August 2020|website=Daily Maverick}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/462774-boko-haram-leader-shekau-dead-as-iswap-fighters-capture-sambisa-forest-report.html|title=Boko Haram leader, Shekau, dead as ISWAP fighters capture Sambisa forest -- Report|date=20 May 2021}}</ref>

== International reaction ==
{{anchor|Criticism}}
{{anchor|Islamic criticism}}

=== International criticism ===
The group has attracted widespread criticism internationally for its extremism, from governments and international bodies such as the {{wipe|United Nations}} and Amnesty International. On 24 September 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated: "As Muslim leaders around the world have said, groups like ISIL – or Da'ish – have nothing to do with [[Religion:Islam|Islam]], and they certainly do not represent a state. They should more fittingly be called the 'Un-Islamic Non-State'."<ref>{{cite web |author=Ban Ki-Moon |title=Secretary-General's remarks to Security Council High-Level Summit on Foreign Terrorist Fighters |url=https://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=8040 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=18 November 2014 |date=24 September 2014}}</ref> ISIL has been classified a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, the European Union and its member states, the United States, Russia, India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and many other countries (see {{see section||Classification}}). Over 60 countries are directly or indirectly waging war against ISIL (see {{see section||Countries and groups at war with ISIL}}). The group was described as a cult in a Huffington Post column by notable cult authority Steven Hassan.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hassan |first1=Steven |title=ISIS Is a Cult That Uses Terrorism: A Fresh New Strategy |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-hassan/isis-is-a-cult-that-uses-_b_6023890.html |work=The World Post |access-date=10 November 2014 |date=21 October 2014}}</ref>

Twitter has removed many accounts used to spread IS propaganda, and [[Company:Google|Google]] developed a "Redirect Method" which identifies individuals searching for IS-related material and redirects them to content which challenges IS narratives.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Richter |first1=Elihu D. |last2=Markus |first2=Dror Kris |last3=Tait |first3=Casey|ref={{sfnref|Richter et al.|2018}} |title=Incitement, genocide, genocidal terror, and the upstream role of indoctrination: can epidemiologic models predict and prevent? |journal=Public Health Reviews |date=2018 |volume=39 |issue=1 |page=30 |doi=10.1186/s40985-018-0106-7|pmid=30377548 |pmc=6196410 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Islamic criticism ===
The group's declaration of a caliphate has been criticised and its legitimacy has been disputed by Middle Eastern governments, by Sunni Muslim theologians and historians as well as other jihadist groups.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/theyre-delusional-rivals-ridicule-isis-declaration-of-islamic-state |title="They're delusional": Rivals ridicule ISIS declaration of Islamic state |publisher=CBS News |date=30 June 2014 |access-date=4 July 2014}}</ref>

==== Religious leaders and organisations ====
Around the world, [[Religion:Islamic religious leaders|Islamic religious leaders]] have overwhelmingly condemned ISIL's ideology and actions, arguing that the group has strayed from the path of true Islam and that its actions do not reflect the religion's real teachings or virtues.<ref name="ns10Mar2015">{{cite magazine |last=Hasan |first=Mehdi |date=10 March 2015 |title=Mehdi Hasan: How Islamic is Islamic State? |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2015/03/mehdi-hasan-how-islamic-islamic-state |magazine=New Statesman |access-date=7 July 2015 |quote=Consider the various statements of Muslim groups such as the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, representing 57 countries (Isis has "nothing to do with Islam"); the Islamic Society of North America (Isis's actions are "in no way representative of what Islam actually teaches"); al-Azhar University in Cairo, the most prestigious seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world (Isis is acting "under the guise of this holy religion ... in an attempt to export their false Islam"); and even Saudi Arabia's Salafist Grand Mufti, Abdul Aziz al ash-Sheikh (Isis is "the number-one enemy of Islam").}}</ref>

Extremism within Islam goes back to the 7th century, to the Khawarijes. From their essentially political position, the Kharijites developed extreme doctrines which set them apart from both mainstream Sunni and Shia Muslims. They were particularly noted for adopting a radical approach to [[Religion:Takfir|takfir]], whereby they declared other Muslims to be unbelievers and therefore deemed worthy of death.{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|pages=xvii–xviii}}<ref name=SheemaKhan>{{cite news |first=Sheema |last=Khan |date=29 September 2014 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/another-battle-with-islams-true-believers/article20802390/ |title=Another battle with Islam's 'true believers' |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto, Canada}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite report |first=Usama |last=Hasan |title=The Balance of Islam in Challenging Extremism |url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-balance-of-islam-in-challenging-extremism.pdf |publisher=Quilliam Foundation |date=July 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802045255/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/publications/free/the-balance-of-islam-in-challenging-extremism.pdf |archive-date=2 August 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/fruits-of-the-tree-of-extremism |title=Imam Mohamad Jebara: Fruits of the tree of extremism |first=Mohamad |last=Jebara |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=6 February 2015}}</ref> Other scholars have also described the group not as Sunnis, but as Khawarij.{{r|SheemaKhan}}{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|pages=xvii–xviii, see also p.8}} Sunni critics, including Salafi and jihadist muftis such as Adnan al-Aroor and [[Biography:Abu Basir al-Tartusi|Abu Basir al-Tartusi]], say that ISIL and related terrorist groups are not Sunnis, but are instead modern-day Kharijites (Muslims who have stepped outside the mainstream of Islam) serving an imperial anti-Islamic agenda.<ref name="econ140906">{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21615634-sunni-religious-authorities-turn-against-islamic-state-slow-backlash |title=The slow backlash – Sunni religious authorities turn against Islamic State |date=6 September 2014 |newspaper=The Economist}}</ref>

ISIS has been [[Religion:Takfir|excommunicated]] from Islam by a number of scholars. Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi enumerated in his book, Refuting ISIS, that their form of Kharijism has removed them from Islam and fighting them is a religious duty, stating: "ISIS' leaders are people of unbelief and misguidance, and Muslims should not be lured by their jihad or deceived by their propaganda, as their actions speak louder than their words."{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|pages=75–80}} [[Biography:Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz|Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz]], the former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, also stated that Kharijites are not Muslims, saying: "the majority are of the opinion that they are disobedient and misguided innovators, though they do not deem them unbelievers. However, the correct opinion is that they are unbelievers."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bin Baz |first1=Abdullah |title=من هم الخوارج |url=https://binbaz.org.sa/fatwas/25668/%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC |website=binbaz.org.sa |access-date=1 May 2020 |language=ar}}</ref>

In late August 2014, the [[Religion:Grand Mufti|Grand Mufti]] of Saudi Arabia, Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh, condemned ISIL and [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]] saying, "Extremist and militant ideas and terrorism which spread decay on Earth, destroying human civilization, are not in any way part of Islam, but are enemy number one of Islam, and Muslims are their first victims".<ref>{{cite news |title=Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti denounces Islamic State group as un-Islamic |url=http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/08/25/saudi-arabias-grand-mufti-denounces-islamic-state-group-as-un-islamic/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827113133/http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2014/08/25/saudi-arabias-grand-mufti-denounces-islamic-state-group-as-un-islamic/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 August 2014 |publisher=Reuters |date=25 August 2014}}</ref> In late September 2014, 126 Sunni imams and Islamic scholars—primarily [[Religion:Sufism|Sufi]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muslimmatters.org/2014/10/01/muslim-scholars-letter-to-al-baghdadi-of-isis-or-isil-a-missed-opportunity/ |title=Muslim Scholars Letter to al-Baghdadi of ISIS or ISIL – A Missed Opportunity |date=1 October 2014 |first=Amad |last=Shaikh |work=Muslim Matters |access-date=8 November 2014}}</ref>—from around the Muslim world signed an open letter to the Islamic State's leader al-Baghdadi, explicitly rejecting and refuting his group's interpretations of Islamic scriptures, the [[Religion:Quran|Quran]] and [[Religion:Hadith|hadith]], which it used in order to justify its actions.<ref>{{cite news |title=Muslim Scholars Release Open Letter to Islamic State Meticulously Blasting Its Ideology |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/24/muslim-scholars-islamic-state_n_5878038.html |work=HuffPost |date=24 September 2013 |first=Lauren |last=Markoe |agency=Religious News Service |access-date=25 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Samuel |title=International Coalition of Muslim Scholars Refute ISIS' Religious Arguments in Open Letter to al-Baghdadi |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/international-coalition-of-muslim-scholars-refute-isis-religious-arguments-in-open-letter-to-al-baghdadi-127032/ |access-date=18 October 2014 |work=The Christian Post |date=25 September 2014}}</ref> "[You] have misinterpreted Islam into a religion of harshness, brutality, torture and murder ... this is a great wrong and an offence to Islam, to Muslims and to the entire world", the letter states.<ref name=OpenLetToAlBagh>{{cite web |title=Open Letter to Al-Baghdadi |url=http://lettertobaghdadi.com/index.php |date=September 2014 |access-date=25 September 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925193528/http://lettertobaghdadi.com/index.php |archive-date=25 September 2014 }}</ref> It rebukes the Islamic State for its killing of prisoners, describing the killings as "heinous [[Social:War crime|war crime]]s" and its persecution of the [[Unsolved:Yazidis|Yazidis]] of Iraq as "abominable". Referring to the "self-described 'Islamic State'", the letter censures the group for carrying out killings and acts of brutality under the guise of [[Religion:Jihad|jihad]]—holy struggle—saying that its "sacrifice" without legitimate cause, goals and intention "is not jihad at all, but rather, warmongering and criminality".{{r|OpenLetToAlBagh}}<ref>{{cite news |title=Isis is 'an offence to Islam', says international coalition of major Islamic scholars |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-is-an-offence-to-islam-says-international-coalition-of-major-islamic-scholars-9756255.html |access-date=8 October 2014 |work=Independent |quote=More than 120 Sunni imams and academics, including some of the Muslim world's most respected scholars, signed the 18-page document which outlines 24 separate grounds on which the terror group violates the tenets of Islam. |location=London |first=Cahal |last=Milmo |date=25 September 2014}}</ref> It also accuses the group of instigating [[Religion:Fitna (word)|fitna]]—sedition—by instituting slavery under its rule in contravention of the [[Religion:Islamic views on slavery#Modern interpretations|anti-slavery consensus]] of the [[Religion:Ulama|Islamic scholarly community]].{{r|OpenLetToAlBagh}} [[File:Wien - Kobane-Demo 2014-10-10 - V.jpg|thumb|Pro-YPG demonstration against ISIL in Vienna, Austria, 10 October 2014]]

The current [[Religion:Grand Imam of al-Azhar|Grand Imam of al-Azhar]] and former president of [[Organization:Al-Azhar University|al-Azhar University]], Ahmed el-Tayeb, has strongly condemned the Islamic State, stating that it is acting "under the guise of this holy religion and have given themselves the name 'Islamic State' in an attempt to export their false Islam".<ref>{{cite news |title=Head of Egypt's al-Azhar condemns ISIS 'barbarity' |publisher=Al Arabiya English |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=3 December 2014 |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/12/03/Head-of-Egypt-s-al-Azhar-condemns-ISIS-barbarity-.html}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.aawsat.net/2014/12/article55339431/egypts-al-azhar-stops-short-of-declaring-isis-apostates |first=Asharq |last=Al-Awsat |title=Egypt's Al-Azhar stops short of declaring ISIS apostates – Azhar statement rejects practice of takfirism |work=Asharq Al Awsat |date=13 December 2014 |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706183507/http://www.aawsat.net/2014/12/article55339431/egypts-al-azhar-stops-short-of-declaring-isis-apostates |archive-date=6 July 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Citing the Quran, he stated: "The punishment for those who wage war against God and his Prophet and who strive to sow corruption on earth is death, crucifixion, the severing of hands and feet on opposite sides or banishment from the land. This is the disgrace for them in this world and in the hereafter, they will receive grievous torment." Although el-Tayeb has been criticised for not expressly stating that the Islamic State is heretical,<ref name=AhramRenewal>{{cite news |url=http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/10157/17/In-search-of-%E2%80%98renewal%E2%80%99.aspx |work=Al Ahram Weekly |title=In search of 'renewal' – Al-Azhar is at the centre of an escalating controversy |first=Amany |last=Maged |date=15 January 2015 |access-date=6 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915041756/http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/10157/17/In-search-of-%E2%80%98renewal%E2%80%99.aspx |archive-date=15 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/azhar-egypt-radicals-islamic-state-apostates.html |work=Al-Monitor |title=Al-Azhar refuses to consider the Islamic State an apostate |first=Ahmed |last=Fouad |quote=The sheikh of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, repeated his rejection of declaring IS apostates on 1 Jan, during a meeting with editors-in-chief of Egyptian newspapers. This sparked criticism from a number of religious, political and media parties, especially since Al-Azhar could have renounced the Nigerian mufti's statement on IS without addressing the issue of whether or not Al-Azhar considers the group apostates |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006165630/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/02/azhar-egypt-radicals-islamic-state-apostates.html |archive-date=6 October 2015}}</ref> the [[Religion:Ash'ari|Ash'ari]] school of Islamic theology, to which el-Tayeb belongs, does not allow calling a person who follows the [[Religion:Shahada|shahada]] an apostate.{{r|AhramRenewal}} El-Tayeb has strongly come out against the practice of takfirism (declaring a Muslim an apostate) which is used by the Islamic State to "judge and accuse anyone who doesn't tow their line with apostasy and outside the realm of the faith" declaring "[[Religion:Jihad|Jihad]] on peaceful Muslims" using "flawed interpretations of some Qur'anic texts, the prophet's Sunna, and the Imams' views believing incorrectly, that they are leaders of Muslim armies fighting infidel peoples, in unbelieving lands".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.themwl.org/sheikh-al-azhar-speech-opening-conference |website=Muslim World League |title=Sheikh Al-Azhar Speech in opening of conference |date=22 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119055307/http://en.themwl.org/sheikh-al-azhar-speech-opening-conference |archive-date=19 January 2016}}</ref>

In late December 2015, nearly 70,000 Indian Muslim clerics associated with the Indian Barelvi movement issued a [[Religion:Fatwa|fatwa]] condemning ISIL and similar organisations, saying they are "not Islamic organisations". Approximately {{nowrap|1.5 million}} Sunni Muslim followers of this movement have formally decried violent extremists.<ref>{{cite news |title=70,000 clerics issue fatwa against terrorism, 15 lakh Muslims support it |first=Priyangi |last=Agarwall |work=The Times of India |agency=TNN |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/70000-clerics-issue-fatwa-against-terrorism-15-lakh-Muslims-support-it/articleshow/50100656.cms |date=9 December 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=70,000 Indian clerics issue fatwa against terrorists |first=Molly |last=Jckson |work=The Christian Science Monitor |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2015/1210/70-000-Indian-clerics-issue-fatwa-against-terrorists |date=10 December 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=70,000 Muslim clerics just issued a fatwa against terrorism |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/70000-indian-muslim-clerics-issue-fatwa-against-isis-the-taliban-al-qaida-and-other-terror-groups-a6768191.html |date=10 December 2015 |work=Independent |first=Caroline |last=Mortimer}}</ref>

Mehdi Hasan, a political journalist in the UK, said in the ''New Statesman'',

{{quote|Whether Sunni or Shia, Salafi or Sufi, conservative or liberal, Muslims – and Muslim leaders – have almost unanimously condemned and denounced ISIL not merely as un-Islamic but actively anti-Islamic.{{r|ns10Mar2015}} }}

Hassan Hassan, an analyst at the Delma Institute, wrote in ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'' that because the Islamic State "bases its teachings on religious texts that mainstream Muslim clerics do not want to deal with head on, new recruits leave the camp feeling that they have stumbled on the true message of Islam".{{r|guardian-traincamp}}

Theologian and Qatar-based TV broadcaster Yusuf al-Qaradawi stated: "[The] declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under [[Religion:Sharia|sharia]] and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and for the revolt in Syria", adding that the title of caliph can "only be given by the entire Muslim nation", not by a single group.<ref>{{cite news |last=Strange |first=Hannah |title=Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi addresses Muslims in Mosul |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10948480/Islamic-State-leader-Abu-Bakr-al-Baghdadi-addresses-Muslims-in-Mosul.html |access-date=6 July 2014 |work=The Telegraph |date=5 July 2014 |location=London}}</ref> He also stated on his official website "[[Place:United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates]] (UAE) and the leaders of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) terrorist group are from one species and they are two sides of the same coin".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff writers |title=Al-Qaradawi: Rulers Of UAE And Daesh Leaders Are Two Sides Of The Same Coin {{!}} English – Middle East Press News Agency|url=http://middleeastpress.com/english/al-qaradawi-rulers-of-uae-and-daesh-leaders-are-two-sides-of-the-same-coin/|access-date=4 August 2016|publisher=Middle East News Agency|date=2 August 2016}}</ref> In a similar vein, the Syrian [[Religion:Ulama|Islamic scholar]] Muhammad al-Yaqoubi says, "[t]he followers of ISIS do not want to adhere to Islamic law but rather they want to twist Islamic law to conform to their fantasies. To this end, they pick and choose the evidences that corroborate their misguidance, despite being weak or abrogated."{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|page=37}}

Academics Robyn Creswell and Bernard Haykel of ''The New Yorker'' have criticised ISIL's execution of Muslims for breach of traditional ''[[Religion:Sharia|sharia]]'' law while violating it simultaneously themselves (encouraging women to emigrate to its territory, travelling without a ''[[Religion:Wali|Wali]]''—male guardian—and in violation of his wishes).<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Creswell |first1=Robyn |last2=Haykel |first2=Bernard |title=Battle Lines |magazine=The New Yorker |date=8 June 2015 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/battle-lines-jihad-creswell-and-haykel  |quote=In the most recent issue of Dabiq, ISIS's English-language magazine, a female writer encourages women to emigrate to "the lands of the Islamic State" even if it means travelling without a male companion, a shocking breach of traditional Islamic law. This may be a cynical ploy—a lure for runaways. But it is in keeping with the jihadists' attack on parental authority and its emphasis on individual empowerment, including the power of female believers to renounce families they do not view as authentically Muslim.}}</ref> as well as its love of archaic imagery (horsemen and swords) while engaging in ''[[Religion:Bid'ah|bid'ah]]'' (religious innovation) in establishing female religious police (known as Al-Khansaa Brigade).<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Creswell |first1=Robyn |last2=Haykel |first2=Bernard |title=Battle Lines |magazine=The New Yorker |date=8 June 2015 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/08/battle-lines-jihad-creswell-and-haykel |quote=It has also created a female morality police, a shadowy group called the al-Khansa' Brigades, who insure proper deportment in ISIS-held towns. ... Al-Khansa' was a female poet of the pre-Islamic era who converted to Islam and became a companion of the Prophet, and her elegies for her male relations are keystones of the genre [of Islamic poetry]. The name therefore suggests an institution with deep roots in the past, and yet there has never been anything like the Brigades in Islamic history, nor do they have an equivalent anywhere else in the Arab world.}}</ref>

Two days after the beheading of Hervé Gourdel, hundreds of Muslims gathered in the Grand Mosque of Paris to show solidarity against the beheading. The protest was led by the leader of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, Dalil Boubakeur, and was joined by thousands of other Muslims around the country under the slogan "Not in my name".<ref name=ibt-09-28>{{cite news |last1=Halleck |first1=Thomas |title=Thousands of French Muslims Protest Herve Gourdel Beheading |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/thousands-french-muslims-protest-herve-gourdel-beheading-1695741 |access-date=28 September 2014 |work=International Business Times |date=26 September 2014}}</ref> French president François Hollande said Gourdel's beheading was "cowardly" and "cruel", and confirmed that airstrikes would continue against ISIL in Iraq. Hollande also called for three days of national mourning, with flags flown at half-mast throughout the country and said that security would be increased throughout Paris.{{r|ibt-09-28}}

==== Other jihadist groups ====
{{anchor|NYTquotestheorists}}
According to ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'', "All of the most influential jihadist theorists are criticising the Islamic State as deviant, calling its self-proclaimed caliphate null and void" and they have denounced it for its beheadings of journalists and aid workers.{{r|ISIS_NYT}} ISIL is widely denounced by a broad range of Islamic clerics, including Saudi and al-Qaeda-oriented clerics.{{r|HuffPost_Wahhabi|ISIS_NYT}} Muhammad al-Yaqoubi states, "It is enough of a proof of the extreme ideology of ISIS that the top leaders of Salafi-Jihadism have disclaimed it."{{sfnp|Al-Yaqoubi|2015|page=19}}
{{anchor|Khawarij}}Other critics of ISIL's brand of Sunni Islam include Salafists who previously publicly supported jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda: for example, the Saudi government official [[Biography:Saleh Al-Fawzan|Saleh Al-Fawzan]], known for his extremist views, who claims that ISIL is a creation of "Zionists, Crusaders and Safavids", and the Jordanian-Palestinian writer Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the former spiritual mentor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was released from prison in Jordan in June 2014 and accused ISIL of driving a wedge between Muslims.{{r|econ140906}}

An Islamic Front [[Religion:Sharia|sharia]] court judge in Aleppo, Mohamed Najeeb Bannan, stated: "The legal reference is the Islamic Sharia. The cases are different, from robberies to drug use, to moral crimes. It's our duty to look at any crime that comes to us... After the regime has fallen, we believe that the Muslim majority in Syria will ask for an Islamic state. Of course, it's very important to point out that some say the Islamic Sharia will cut off people's hands and heads, but it only applies to criminals. And to start off by killing, crucifying etc. That is not correct at all." In response to being asked what the difference between the Islamic Front's and ISIL's version of sharia would be, he said, "One of their mistakes is before the regime has fallen, and before they've established what in Sharia is called Tamkeen [having a stable state], they started applying Sharia, thinking God gave them permission to control the land and establish a Caliphate. This goes against the beliefs of religious scholars around the world. This is what [IS] did wrong. This is going to cause a lot of trouble. Anyone who opposes [IS] will be considered against Sharia and will be severely punished."<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiyyWiO-IKY |title=Ghosts of Aleppo (Full Length) |date=30 September 2014 |publisher=VICE News |via=YouTube}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=https://news.vice.com/video/ghosts-of-aleppo-full-length |title=Ghosts of Aleppo (Full Length) |work=VICE News}}</ref>

Al-Qaeda and al-Nusra have been trying to take advantage of ISIL's rise, by attempting to present themselves as "moderate" compared to "extremist" ISIL, although they have the same aim of establishing sharia and a caliphate, but doing so in a more gradual manner.<ref>{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |title=Al Qaeda appears 'moderate' compared to Islamic State, veteran jihadist says |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/10/al-qaeda-appears-moderate-compared-to-islamic-state-veteran-jihadist-says.php |work=Long War Journal |date=25 October 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=26 October 2015 |title=A rare interview with an experienced Al Qaeda commander shows how the group is using ISIS to make itself look 'moderate' |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/a-rare-interview-with-an-experienced-al-qaeda-commander-shows-how-the-group-is-using-isis-to-make-itself-look-moderate-2015-10 |newspaper=Business Insider |access-date=20 November 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |title=The Al Nusrah Front's 'inherited jihad' |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/06/inheritedjihad.php |work=Long War Journal |date=5 June 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |title=Officials from Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham vow to continue fight against Islamic State |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/07/officials-from-al-nusrah-front-ahrar-al-sham-vow-to-continue-fight-against-islamic-state.php |work=Long War Journal |date=20 July 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |date=9 February 2015 |title=Al Qaeda Uses ISIS to Try to Present Itself as Respectable, Even Moderate |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/al-qaeda-uses-isis-try-present-itself-respectable-even-moderate_845194.html |newspaper=The Weekly Standard}}</ref> Al-Nusra has criticised the way in which ISIL fully and immediately institutes sharia in the areas that fall under its control, since it alienates people too much. It supports the gradual, slower approach favoured by al-Qaeda, preparing society to accept sharia and indoctrinating people through education before implementing the [[Religion:Hudud|hudud]] aspects in sharia, which they believe supports punishments such as throwing homosexuals from the top of buildings, chopping limbs off, and public stoning.{{r|Joscelyn 2015-09}} Al-Nusra and ISIL are both hostile towards the [[Philosophy:Druze|Druze]]. However, while al-Nusra has typically destroyed Druze shrines and pressured them to convert to Sunni Islam, ISIL regards the entire Druze community as a valid target for violence, as it does the [[Unsolved:Yazidis|Yazidis]].<ref>{{cite web |first=Waleed |last=Rikab |url=http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/the-plight-of-syrias-druze-minority-and-u-s-options/ |title=The Plight of Syria's Druze Minority and U.S. Options |work=Syria Comment |date=9 September 2015}}</ref>

In February 2014, [[Biography:Ayman al-Zawahiri|Ayman al-Zawahiri]], the leader of Al-Qaeda, announced that his group [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|Al-Qaeda]] had cut ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and denounced ISIL after being unable to reconcile a conflict between them and the al-Qaeda affiliate [[Religion:Al-Nusra Front|al-Nusra Front]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/02/al-qaeda-cuts-ties-syrian-rebel-group/357686/|title=Al-Qaeda Cuts Ties with Syrian Rebel Group|publisher=www.theatlantic.com|date=4 February 2014|access-date=15 June 2020}}</ref>

In September 2015, [[Biography:Ayman al-Zawahiri|Ayman al-Zawahiri]], the leader of al-Qaeda, called for consultation ([[Religion:Shura|shura]]) within the "prophetic method" to be used when establishing the caliphate, criticising al-Baghdadi for not following the required steps. Al-Zawahiri has called upon ISIL members to close ranks and join al-Qaeda in fighting against Assad, the Shia, Russia, Europe, and America and to stop the infighting between jihadist groups. He called upon jihadists to establish Islamic entities in Egypt and the Levant, slowly implementing sharia before establishing a caliphate, and has called for violent assaults against America and the West.<ref>{{cite news |last=Joscelyn |first=Thomas |title=Al Qaeda chief calls for jihadist unity to 'liberate Jerusalem' |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/11/al-qaedas-chief-calls-for-unity-to-liberate-jerusalem.php |work=Long War Journal |date=2 November 2015}}</ref>

The Jaysh al-Islam group within the Islamic Front criticised ISIL, saying: "They killed the people of Islam and leave the idol worshippers ... They use the verses talking about the disbelievers and implement it on the Muslims".<ref>{{YouTube | id=6akQmuYyAT0 |title=ar:Uncover the Mask with Evidence and Confidence كشف القناع بالحجة ولإقناع داعش}}</ref> The main criticism of defectors from ISIL has been that the group is fighting and killing other Sunni Muslims,<ref>{{cite news |title=Number of ISIS defectors growing, disillusioned with killing fellow Muslims: Study |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/number-of-isis-defectors-growing-disillusioned-with-killing-fellow-muslims-study |work=The Straits Times |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=21 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925084826/http://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/number-of-isis-defectors-growing-disillusioned-with-killing-fellow-muslims-study |archive-date=25 September 2015 |location=London}}</ref> as opposed to just non-Sunnis being brutalised.<ref>{{cite news |last=Neumann |first=Peter R. |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/21/opinions/isis-defectors-neumann-amanpour/index.html |title=Defectors: ISIS is killing Muslims, not protecting them |publisher=CNN |date=22 September 2015 |access-date=13 October 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |last=Robins-Early |first=Nick |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/isis-defectors-report_560006a4e4b08820d919404d |title=New Report Reveals Why Fighters Are Quitting ISIS |work=HuffPost |date=21 September 2015 |access-date=13 October 2015}}</ref> In one case, a supposed defector from ISIL executed two activists of a Syrian opposition group in Turkey who had sheltered them.<ref>{{cite web |title=A 'disgraceful reality': Islamic State spies posing as defectors |date=5 November 2015 |website=Syria Direct |url=http://syriadirect.org/news/a-%E2%80%98disgraceful-reality%E2%80%99-islamic-state-spies-posing-as-defectors/}}</ref>

=== Other commentaries ===
Scholar Ian Almond criticised the media commentators, the lack of balance in reporting, and the "way we are learning to talk about ISIS." While there was talk about 'radical evil' and 'radical Islam', Almond found it striking because "some of the most revered and oft-quoted figures in our Western political tradition have been capable of the most vicious acts of savagery – and yet all we ever hear about is how much the Middle East has to learn from us." Almond goes on to cite how Winston Churchill "wanted to gas women and children", how Ronald Reagan's Central American policies "disembowlled more children than ISIS," how President [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]'s "planes and drones have dropped bombs on as many schoolchildren as ISIS," how former secretary of state Madeleine Albright commented on the deaths of Iraqi children killed by sanctions, how [[Biography:Henry Kissinger|Henry Kissinger]] and Margaret Thatcher "assisted in the torture and disappearance of thousands of Chilean students and labour activists... For anyone familiar with the history of both U.S. and European torture and murder over the past 150 years, it might not be all that hyperbolic to say that in ISIS, what we see more than anything else is a more expansive, explicit version of our own cruelties. In bombing ISIS and its would-be imperialism, we are really bombing a version of ourselves."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://politicaltheology.com/are-we-isis-ian-almond|last=Almond|first=Ian|title=Are we ISIS?|date=7 January 2015|publisher=Political Theology|access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref>

Author and commentator Tom Engelhardt attributed the rise of ISIL and the destruction that followed to what he dubbed as America's drive to establish its own caliphate in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mondediplo.com/openpage/how-america-made-isis|last=Engelhardt|first=Tom|title=How America made ISIS|date=3 September 2014|publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique|access-date=21 April 2019}}</ref>

A leader article in the New Scientist magazine contextualised ISIL within the [[Social:Nation state|nation state]] construct. Although the group is described as medieval in the pejorative sense, "it is also hyper-modern, interested in few of the trappings of a conventional state apart from its own brutal brand of law enforcement. In fact, it is more of a network than a nation, having made canny use of social media to exert influence far beyond its geographical base."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22329851-500-in-our-world-beyond-nations-the-future-is-medieval|title=In our world beyond nations, the future is medieval|date=3 September 2014|publisher=New Scientist|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>

==== Designation as a terrorist organisation ====
{|class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto;"
|-
! Organisation !! Date !! Body !! References
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: silver; font-weight:bold; text-align:center;" | Multinational organisations
|-
|{{flagu|United Nations}}||18 October 2004 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq)<br />30 May 2013 (after separation from [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al‑Qaeda]])|||United Nations Security Council||<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm#alqaedaent |title=Al-Qaida Sanctions List |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925062013/http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/AQList.htm |archive-date=25 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/resolutions.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405001543/http://www.un.org/sc/committees/1267/resolutions.shtml |archive-date=5 April 2015 |title=The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee – 1267 |website=United Nations Web Services Section |publisher=United Nations}}<!-- removed duplicate archive url --><br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2013/sc11019.doc.htm |title=Security Council Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee Amends Entry |access-date=8 June 2015}}</ref><!-- first listed under section b organisations as al-Qaida in Iraq, with ISIL added as an "also known as" and now known in SC Resolutions as ISIL -->
|-
|{{flagu|European Union}}||2004||[[Organization:Council of the European Union|EU Council]] (via adoption of UN al-Qaeda Sanctions List)||<ref name="berghof-foundation.org">{{cite news |last1=Wahlisch |first1=Martin |title=EU Terrorist Listing – An Overview about Listing and Delisting Procedures |url=http://www.berghof-foundation.org/fileadmin/redaktion/Publications/Other_Resources/RLM_EU_Terrorist_Listing.pdf |access-date=3 November 2014 |publisher=Berghof Foundation |year=2010}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: silver; font-weight:bold; text-align:center;" | Nations{{anchor|nations}}
|-
|{{flagu|United Kingdom}}||March 2001 (as part of al-Qaeda)<br />20 June 2014 (after separation from al‑Qaeda) ||Home Office||<ref>{{cite web |title=Proscribed Terrorist Organisations, pp.13–15 |url=http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324603/20140627-List_of_Proscribed_organisations_WEBSITE_final.pdf |date=20 June 2014 |publisher=Home Office |access-date=7 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815183741/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324603/20140627-List_of_Proscribed_organisations_WEBSITE_final.pdf |archive-date=15 August 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|United States}}||17 December 2004 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq)|||United States Department of State||<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm |title=Foreign Terrorist Organizations |publisher=Bureau of Counterterrorism. United States Department of State |access-date=28 July 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Australia}}||2 March 2005 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq)<br />14 December 2013 (after separation from al‑Qaeda) ||Attorney-General for Australia||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/default.aspx |title=Listed terrorist organisations |publisher=Australian National Security |access-date=31 July 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Canada}}||20 August 2012||Parliament of Canada ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/cntr-trrrsm/lstd-ntts/crrnt-lstd-ntts-eng.aspx |title=Currently listed entities |publisher=Public Safety Canada |access-date=31 July 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{Flagu|Iraq}}
|10 October 2006 (as al-Qaeda in Iraq)<br />30 May 2013 (after separation from [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al‑Qaeda]])
|Ministry of Foregin Affair
|<ref>{{cite news|last=Al Salhy|first=Suadad|date=4 February 2018|title=Iraq issues 'most wanted' terror list|work=Arab News|url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1239456/middle-east}}<br />{{bullet}}{{Cite web|script-title=ar:الامن النيابية: داعش انتهى عسكريا في العراق بعد قتل واعتقال 75 الف عنصر|url=https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/222273/الامن-النيابية-داعش-انتهى-عسكريا-في-العراق-بعد-قتل/ar|access-date=7 August 2018|website=Al Sumaria|language=ar-iq}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Turkey}}||30 October 2013||Grand National Assembly of Turkey||<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kaplan |first1=Hilal |title=Charging Turkey for ISIS |url=http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/hilal_kaplan/2014/09/03/charging-turkey-for-isis |work=Daily Sabah |date=3 September 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Mahcupyan |first1=Etyen |title=ISIS, Turkey and the US |url=http://www.dailysabah.com/columns/etyen-mahcupyan/2014/09/20/isis-turkey-and-the-us |work=Daily Sabah |date=20 September 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Saudi Arabia}}||7 March 2014||Royal decree of the King of Saudi Arabia||<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-security-idUSBREA260SM20140307 |title=Saudi Arabia designates Muslim Brotherhood terrorist group |publisher=Reuters |date=7 March 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Indonesia}}||1 August 2014||Counter-Terrorism National Agency (BNPT)||<ref name="Indonesia">{{cite news |title=BNPT Declares ISIS a Terrorist Organization |url=http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2014/08/02/055596766/BNPT-Declares-ISIS-a-Terrorist-Organization |work=Tempo |date=2 August 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|United Arab Emirates}}||20 August 2014||United Arab Emirates Cabinet||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/list-of-terror-groups-published-by-uae-1.1413219 |title=List of terror groups published by United Arab Emirates |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128055511/http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/list-of-terror-groups-published-by-uae-1.1413219 |archive-date=28 January 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Malaysia}}||24 September 2014||Ministry of Foreign Affairs||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysia-designates-isis-terrorist-group-vows-tough-action-report-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140925112708/http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysia-designates-isis-terrorist-group-vows-tough-action-report-20 |archive-date=25 September 2014 |title=Malaysia designates ISIS as terrorist group, vows tough action: Report |work=The Straits Times |date=25 September 2014}}<!-- removed dead archive link. Kept live link --></ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Switzerland}}||8 October 2014||Swiss Federal Council||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vbs.admin.ch/content/vbs-internet/en/ueber-das-vbs/organisation-des-vbs/die-verwaltungseinheiten-des-vbs/-der-nachrichtendienst-des-bundes.detail.nsb.html/54773.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811133438/https://www.vbs.admin.ch/content/vbs-internet/en/ueber-das-vbs/organisation-des-vbs/die-verwaltungseinheiten-des-vbs/-der-nachrichtendienst-des-bundes.detail.nsb.html/54773.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 August 2020|title=The Federal Council adopts Ordinance banning the Islamic State Group and related organisations|publisher=Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports|access-date=28 February 2019}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Egypt}}||30 November 2014||The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters<!-- searching this court shows that it is the authoritative body in the country that designates all terrorist groups and bans organisations -->||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/11/30/court-affirms-isis-terrorist-group-designation/ |title=Court affirms ISIS' 'terrorist group' designation |work=Daily News Egypt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208210043/http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/11/30/court-affirms-isis-terrorist-group-designation/ |archive-date=8 December 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Egypt brands jihadist ISIL a 'terrorist group' |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/egypt-brands-jihadist-isil-a-terrorist-group.aspx?pageID=238&nID=75033&NewsCatID=352 |work=Hürriyet Daily News |date=30 November 2014}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|India}}||16 December 2014||Ministry of Home Affairs||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/BO |title=Banned Organisations |access-date=16 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101163635/http://www.mha.nic.in/BO |archive-date=1 January 2015}}</ref><!-- ISIL will be listed here as a banned terrorist group when page updated --><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-government-bans-islamic-state-terror-organisation/article6698369.ece |title=India bans IS |agency=Press Trust of India |work=The Hindu |date=16 December 2014}}</ref><!-- public announcement says "we have banned" -->
|-
|{{flagu|Russian Federation}}||29 December 2014||Supreme Court of Russia||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://tass.ru/en/world/769912 |title=Russia calls on all states to put Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra on terrorist lists |publisher=Russian News Agency TASS |date=29 December 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Kyrgyzstan}}||25 March 2015||Kyrgyz State Committee of National Security||<ref>{{cite news |last1=Paraszczuk |first1=Joanna |title=Kyrgyzstan Bans IS, Designates It As Terror Group |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan-bans-islamic-state/26920328.html |publisher=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=2 March 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Singapore}}||23 March 2020||Ministry of Home Affairs||<ref>{{Singapore legislation|title=Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act|cap=325}}, item 1 of First Schedule</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Syria}}||||||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sana.sy/en/?p=2988 |title=Syria condemns terrorist acts in Iraq, expresses solidarity with Iraqi government, army and people |author=Manal |agency=Syrian Arab News Agency}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Jordan}}||||||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/jordan-continues-their-revenge-on-isis-carrying-out-airstrikes-against-the-terror-group/story-fnh81ifq-1227209129504 |title=Jordan launches airstrikes against ISIS |publisher=News Corp Australia |date=6 February 2015}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Iran}}||||||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iran-daily.com/News/115766.html |title=Report says ISIL terrorist group has a base near US |work=Iran Daily |date=16 April 2015 }}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931221000783 |title=Larijani Reminds Regional States of Iran's Sacrifices against ISIL Terrorists |agency=Fars News Agency |date=12 March 2015 |access-date=7 July 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328150649/http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13931221000783 |url-status=dead }}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.tasnimnews.com/english/Home/Single/492030 |title=Iran Says Arrests ISIL Suspects at Border |agency=Tasnim News Agency |date=8 September 2014 }}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://en.alalam.ir/news/1654400 |title=Iranian Official: US Not Serious about Countering ISIL Terrorists |work=Al-Alam |date=26 September 2014 }}</ref>
|-
|-
|{{Flagu|Trinidad and Tobago}}
|
|
|<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.tt/life-lead/2017-08-05/%E2%80%98no-room-terrorists%E2%80%99 |title=No Room for terrorist |website=T&T Guardian|date=5 August 2017}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Pakistan}}||29 August 2015||Ministry of Interior||<ref name="ET">{{cite news |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/946859/banned-organisations-is-listed-among-proscribed-outfits/ |title=Islamic State listed among proscribed outfits |first=Zahid |last=Gishkori |work=The Express Tribune}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Japan}}||||Public Security Intelligence Agency||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moj.go.jp/psia/ITH/organizations/index.html |script-title=ja:国際テロ組織 世界のテロ組織等の概要・動向 – 国際テロリズム要覧（Web版） – 公安調査庁|publisher=Ministry of Justice (Japan) |language=ja}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Republic of China (Taiwan)}}||26 November 2015||National Security Bureau||<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.appledaily.com.tw/appledaily/article/headline/20151126/36920202/|script-title=zh:IS叫戰 點名台灣 |publisher=Apple Daily |language=zh-tw|date=25 November 2015 }}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|People's Republic of China}}||||Ministry of Public Security||<ref>{{cite web |title=Xi Jinping's speech on the event of a Chinese citizen being killed by terrorist organization |url=http://www.mfa.gov.cn/web/zyxw/t1316327.shtml |publisher=mfa.gov.cn |access-date=14 December 2016 |language=zh}}</ref>
|-
|{{flagu|Venezuela}}||4 September 2019||National Assembly of Venezuela||{{r|AsambleaVE}}
|-
|{{PHI}}||3 July 2020||Via the Anti-Terrorism Act || <ref>{{cite journal |title=Operation Pacific Eagle–Philippines Lead Inspector General Report To The United States Congress |date=2020 |issue=1 April 2020‒30 June 2020 |url=https://media.defense.gov/2020/Aug/11/2002474708/-1/-1/1/LEAD%20INSPECTOR%20GENERAL%20FOR%20OPERATION%20PACIFIC%20EAGLE-PHILIPPINES%20APRIL%201,%202020%20-%20JUNE%2030,%202020.PDF |access-date=31 December 2020 |page=20|quote=The U.S. Embassy in Manila reported that the Anti-Terrorism Act also streamlines designation of terrorist groups by automatically recognizing all UN terrorist group designations under Philippine law.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=ATC labels CPP-NPA, IS East Asia terrorist organizations |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/769464/atc-labels-cpp-npa-is-east-asia-terrorist-organizations/story/ |access-date=1 January 2021 |work=GMA News |date=31 December 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|{{AZE}}||||||<ref>{{cite news |title=Azerbaijan jails 7 who joined militants in Syria, Iraq |work=The Washington Post |date=16 November 2018 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/azerbaijan-jails-7-who-joined-militants-in-syria-iraq/2016/11/16/90f30df4-ac44-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_story.html |archive-date=18 November 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118100949/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/azerbaijan-jails-7-who-joined-militants-in-syria-iraq/2016/11/16/90f30df4-ac44-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_story.html}}</ref>
|-
|{{BHR}}||||||<ref>{{cite web |title=Bahrain Terrorist List (Individuals – Entities) |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain |url=https://www.mofa.gov.bh/Default.aspx?tabid=12342&language=en-US |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{KWT}}||||||<ref>{{cite web |title=5 Kuwaitis acquitted of funding Daesh, Al-Nusra Front |date=7 January 2016 |publisher=Middle East Monitor
 |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160107-5-kuwaitis-acquitted-of-funding-daesh-al-nusra-front/}}</ref>
|-
|{{TJK}}||||||<ref>{{cite web |title=The list of terrorists and extremists |work=Financial Monitoring Department |publisher=National Bank of Tajikistan |url=https://nbt.tj/en/financial_monitoring/perechni.php |access-date=29 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|{{KAZ}}||||||<ref>{{cite web |title=The list of prohibited foreign organizations in Kazakhstan |publisher=Government of Kazakhstan |date=3 November 2020 |url=https://egov.kz/cms/en/articles/religion/zaprewennye_ordanizacii}}</ref>
|}

The United Nations Security Council in its Resolution 1267 (1999) described [[Biography:Osama bin Laden|Osama bin Laden]] and his al-Qaeda associates as operators of a network of terrorist training camps.<ref>{{cite web |title=Resolution 1267 (1999) Adopted by the Security Council at its 4051st meeting on 15 October 1999 |url=http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?docid=3b00f2298 |publisher=UNHCR}}</ref> The UN's Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee first listed ISIL in its Sanctions List under the name "Al-Qaida in Iraq" on 18 October 2004, as an entity/group associated with al-Qaeda. On 2 June 2014, the group was added to its listing under the name "Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant". The [[Social:European Union|European Union]] adopted the UN Sanctions List in 2002.{{r|berghof-foundation.org}}

[[File:Memorial to November 2015 Paris attacks at French embassy in Moscow 13.jpg|thumb|People lay flowers outside the French embassy in Moscow in memory of the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks.]]
Many world leaders and government spokespeople have called ISIL a terrorist group or banned it, without their countries having formally designated it as such. The following are examples:

The Government of Germany banned ISIL in September 2014. Activities banned include donations to the group, recruiting fighters, holding ISIL meetings and distributing its propaganda, flying ISIL flags,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Eddy |first1=Melissa |title=Germany Bans Support for ISIS |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/europe/germany-bans-support-of-isis.html |work=The New York Times |date=12 September 2014}}</ref> wearing ISIL symbols and all ISIL activities. "The terror organisation Islamic State is a threat to public safety in Germany as well", said German politician Thomas de Maizière. He added, "Today's ban is directed solely against terrorists who abuse religion for their criminal goals."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sixth-sense-newspaper.de/german-news/1943-isil-banned-in-germany |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103205324/http://www.sixth-sense-newspaper.de/german-news/1943-isil-banned-in-germany |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 January 2015 |title=ISIL banned in Germany |first=Janette |last=Roberts |work=Sixth Sense |date=17 September 2014}}</ref> Being a member of ISIL is also illegal in accordance with §{{nbsp}}129a and §{{nbsp}}129b of the German criminal code.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dipbt.bundestag.de/doc/btd/18/007/1800759.pdf |title=Drucksache 18/759 |publisher=Deutscher Bundestag |language=de}}</ref>

In October 2014, Switzerland banned ISIL's activities in the country, including propaganda and financial support of the fighters, with prison sentences as potential penalties.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/401536--switzerland-bans-isil |title=Switzerland bans ISIL |publisher=Anadolu Agency |date=8 October 2014}}</ref>

In mid-December 2014, India banned ISIL after the arrest of an operator of a pro-ISIL Twitter account.<ref>{{cite news |first=Avaneesh |last=Pandey |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/india-bans-isis-after-government-raises-concerns-over-groups-online-presence-1759516 |title=India Bans ISIS After Government Raises Concerns Over Group's Online Presence |date=16 December 2014 |work=International Business Times}}</ref>

Pakistan designated ISIL as a banned organisation in late August 2015, under which all elements expressing sympathy for the group would be blacklisted and sanctioned.{{r|ET}}

Media sources worldwide have described ISIL as a terrorist organisation.{{r|ISIS or ISIL? The debate|nytimes27Aug14|ft-20140617|McCoyTop|Indonesia}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Lister |first=Tim |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/world/meast/who-is-the-isis/ |title=ISIS: The first terror group to build an Islamic state? |publisher=CNN |date=13 June 2014}}</ref>

==== Militia, cult, territorial authority, and other classifications ====
By 2014, ISIL was increasingly being viewed as a militia in addition to a terrorist group and a cult.<ref name="Time">{{cite news |last1=Vick |first1=Karl |last2=Baker |first2=Aryn |url=http://time.com/2859454/iraq-tikrit-isis-baghdad-mosul/ |title=Extremists in Iraq Continue March Toward Baghdad |work=Time |date=11 June 2014 |access-date=23 June 2014}}</ref> As major Iraqi cities fell to ISIL in June 2014, Jessica Lewis, a former US Army intelligence officer at the Institute for the Study of War, described ISIL at that time as

{{quote|text=not a terrorism problem anymore, [but rather] an army on the move in Iraq and Syria, and they are taking terrain. They have shadow governments in and around [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]], and they have an aspirational goal to govern. I don't know whether they want to control Baghdad, or if they want to destroy the functions of the Iraqi state, but either way the outcome will be disastrous for Iraq.{{r|Time}} }}
[[File:London protest 2015 Ankara bombings (2).jpg|thumb|Supporters of the Turkish Labour Party protesting in London following the 2015 Ankara bombings]]
Lewis has called ISIL

{{quote|text=an advanced military leadership. They have incredible command and control and they have a sophisticated reporting mechanism from the field that can relay tactics and directives up and down the line. They are well-financed, and they have big sources of manpower, not just the foreign fighters, but also prisoner escapees.{{r|Time}} }}

Former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel saw an "imminent threat to every interest we have", but former top counter-terrorism adviser Daniel Benjamin derided such talk as a "farce" that panics the public.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mazzetti |first1=Mark |first2=Eric |last2=Schmitt |first3=Mark |last3=Landler |date=10 September 2014 |title=Struggling to Gauge ISIS Threat, Even as U.S. Prepares to Act |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/world/middleeast/struggling-to-gauge-isis-threat-even-as-us-prepares-to-act.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=11 September 2014}}</ref>

Former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband concluded that the 2003 invasion of Iraq caused the creation of ISIL.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Porter |first1=Tom |date=10 August 2015 |title=Iraq War Created Isis, Concedes David Miliband |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/iraq-war-created-isis-concedes-david-miliband-1460557 |work=International Business Times |access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref>

Writing for ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'', Pankaj Mishra rejects the idea that the group is a resurgence of medieval Islam, saying instead:

{{quote|text=In actuality, Isis is the canniest of all traders in the flourishing international economy of disaffection: the most resourceful among all those who offer the security of collective identity to isolated and fearful individuals. It promises, along with others who retail racial, national and religious supremacy, to release the anxiety and frustrations of the private life into the violence of the global.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/24/how-to-think-about-islamic-state |title=How to think about Islamic State |first=Pankaj |last=Mishra |work=The Guardian |date=24 July 2015}}</ref>}}

On 28 January 2017, President Donald Trump issued a National Security Presidential Memorandum which called for a comprehensive plan to destroy ISIL to be formulated by the Defense Department within 30 days.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-02-02/pdf/2017-02386.pdf|title=National Security Presidential Memorandum no. 3}}</ref>

== Supporters ==
According to a June 2015 {{wipe|Reuters}} report that cited "jihadist ideologues" as a source, 90% of ISIL's fighters in Iraq were Iraqi, and 70% of its fighters in Syria were Syrian. The article stated that the group had 40,000 fighters and 60,000 supporters across its two primary strongholds in Iraq and Syria.<ref name="secret of Baghdadi's success">{{cite news |title=Saddam's former army is secret of Baghdadi's success |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-insight-idUSKBN0OW1VN20150616 |work=Reuters |date=16 June 2015 |access-date=1 July 2015}}</ref> According to scholar Fawaz Gerges writing in ''ISIS: A History'', some "30 percent of the senior figures" in ISIL's military command were former army and police officers from the disbanded Iraqi security forces, turned towards Sunni Islamism and drawn to ISIL by the US de-Ba'athification policy following the US invasion of Iraq.{{r|NYRoB-7-9-2015}}

According to a poll by Pew Research Center, Muslim populations of various countries have overwhelmingly negative views of ISIL with [[Place:Lebanon|Lebanon]] having the most unfavorable views.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/in-nations-with-significant-muslim-populations-much-disdain-for-isis/ft_15-11-17_isis_views/ |title= Views of ISIS Overwhelmingly Negative |date=17 November 2015 |work=Pew Research Center}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite web |author=Jacob Poushter191 comments |url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/in-nations-with-significant-muslim-populations-much-disdain-for-isis/ |title=Most dislike ISIS in Muslim countries {{pipe}} Pew Research Center |access-date=21 May 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505125029/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/in-nations-with-significant-muslim-populations-much-disdain-for-isis/ |archive-date=5 May 2016}}</ref> In most of these countries, concerns about Islamic extremism have been growing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/07/01/concerns-about-islamic-extremism-on-the-rise-in-middle-east/ |title=Concerns about Islamic Extremism on the Rise in Middle East {{pipe}} Pew Research Center |date=July 2014 |publisher=Pewglobal.org |access-date=21 May 2016}}</ref>

There are at least 10,000 ISIL prisoners and more than 100,000 ISIL family members and other displaced persons in several camps across the [[Place:Rojava|Kurdish areas in Syria]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Seligman |first1=Lara |title=Turkish-Backed Forces Are Freeing Islamic State Prisoners |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/10/14/turkish-backed-forces-freeing-islamic-state-prisoners-syria/ |website=Foreign Policy |date=14 October 2019}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Turkey/Syria: Civilians at Risk in Syria Operation |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/10/11/turkey/syria-civilians-risk-syria-operation |work=Human Rights Watch |date=11 October 2019}}</ref>

== Countries and groups at war with ISIL ==
[[File:CountriesAgainstIS.svg|upright=2.75|thumb|center|A map of all state-based opponents of ISIL
<br />{{Color box|#00AAD4|border=darkgray}} US Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve
<br />{{Color box|#AAD400|border=darkgray}} Other state-based opponents
<br />{{Color box|red|border=darkgray}} Territories held by ISIL at its late 2015 peak]]
ISIL's claims to territory have brought it into armed conflict with many governments, militias and other armed groups. International rejection of ISIL as a terrorist entity and rejection of its claim to even exist have placed it in conflict with countries around the world.

=== Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ===
[[File:Strikes in Syria and Iraq 2014-09-23.jpg|thumb|Airstrikes in Syria by 24 September 2014]]
[[File:President Trump Delivers Remarks October 27 2019.webm|thumb|President Donald Trump announces the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on 26 October 2019]]
The Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also referred to as the Counter-ISIL Coalition or Counter-DAESH Coalition,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://gulfnews.com/news/region/iraq/coalition-commanders-seek-plan-to-counter-daesh-advance-1.1398681 |title=Coalition commanders seek plan to counter Daesh advance |date=14 October 2014 |agency=Agence France-Presse |work=Gulf News}}</ref> is a US-led group of nations and non-state actors that have committed to "work together under a common, multifaceted, and long-term strategy to degrade and defeat ISIL/Daesh". According to a joint statement issued by 59 national governments and the European Union on 3 December 2014, participants in the Counter-ISIL Coalition are focused on multiple lines of effort:<ref name="Anti-ISIL">{{cite press release |title=Joint Statement Issued by Partners at the Counter-ISIL Coalition Ministerial Meeting |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/12/234627.htm |date=3 December 2014 |publisher=US State Department |access-date=14 December 2014}}</ref>

# Supporting military operations, capacity building, and training;
# Stopping the flow of foreign terrorist fighters;
# Cutting off ISIL/Daesh's access to financing and funding;
# Addressing associated humanitarian relief and crises; and
# Exposing ISIL/Daesh's true nature (ideological delegitimisation).

Operation Inherent Resolve is the operational name given by the US to military operations against ISIL and Syrian al-Qaeda affiliates.
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR) is co-ordinating the military portion of the response. The Arab League, [[Social:European Union|European Union]], NATO, and [[Organization:Gulf Cooperation Council|GCC]] are part of the Counter-ISIL Coalition:{{r|Anti-ISIL}} According to the Pentagon, by December 2017 over 80,000 ISIL fighters had been killed in Iraq and Syria by CJTF-OIR airstrikes.{{r|once promised}} By then the coalition had flown over 170,000 sorties,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.defense.gov/OIR/|title=Special Report: Operation Inherent Resolve|website=U.S. Department of Defense|access-date=3 November 2017}}</ref> 75–80% of combat sorties were conducted by the military of the United States, with the other 20–25% by Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, Belgium, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170331011424/http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve |title=Special Reports: Operation Inherent Resolve |publisher=U.S. Department of Defense |archive-date=31 March 2017}}</ref> According to the UK-based monitoring group ''Airwars'', the air strikes and artillery of US-led coalition killed as many as 6,000 civilians in Iraq and Syria by the end of 2017.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/civilian-deaths-tripled-in-us-led-campaign-during-2017-watchdog-alleges/2018/01/18/ccfae298-fc6d-11e7-a46b-a3614530bd87_story.html |first=Missy |last=Ryan |title=Civilian deaths tripled in U.S.-led campaign against ISIS in 2017, watchdog alleges |work=The Washington Post |date=18 January 2018}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/usled-coalition-killed-up-to-6000-civilians-in-fight-against-is-watchdog-says-20180119-h0kpx3.html |first=Missy |last=Ryan |title=US-led coalition killed up to 6000 civilians in fight against IS: watchdog says |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=18 January 2018}}</ref>

Lebanon, which the U.S. considers part of the Global Coalition, fought off several incursions by ISIL, with the largest engagements taking place from June 2014 to August 2017, when several thousand ISIL fighters invaded from Syria and occupied Lebanese territory. The U.S. and UK-backed Lebanese Army succeeded in repulsing this invasion, killing or capturing over 1,200 ISIL fighters in the process.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Bassem |last1=Mroue |first2=Andrea |last2=Rosa |title=Lebanese army slowly crushing extremists near Syria border |date=22 June 2016 |publisher=Associate Press |url=https://apnews.com/74bea1db221842059615bb1cad15a23c}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=Lebanese army slowly crushing extremists near Syria border |date=22 June 2016 |work=The Washington Post |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanese-army-slowly-crushing-extremists-near-syria-border/2016/06/22/5a01865e-3845-11e6-af02-1df55f0c77ff_story.html |archive-date=24 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624002355/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/lebanese-army-slowly-crushing-extremists-near-syria-border/2016/06/22/5a01865e-3845-11e6-af02-1df55f0c77ff_story.html}}<br>{{bullet}}Saab, Bilal. [https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/08/dont-scrap-washingtons-lebanon-policy-its-working/ "The United States Has Not Lost Lebanon."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401071115/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/08/dont-scrap-washingtons-lebanon-policy-its-working/ |date=1 April 2019}} Foreign Policy. May 2018.</ref>

On 21 December 2019, over 33 Islamist militants were killed in Mali by French forces using attack helicopters, drones and ground troops, alongside the border with Mauritania where an Al-Qaeda-linked group operates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.garda.com/crisis24/news-alerts/299051/mali-french-forces-kill-33-islamist-militants-in-mali-december-21|title=Mali: French forces kill 33 Islamist militants in Mali December 21|website=GardaWorld|language=en|access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref>

==== Other state opponents not part of the Counter-ISIL Coalition ====
<!-- NOT part of the Global Coalition above -->
[[File:Liberation of Palmyra by RSII coalition (1).jpg|thumb|Liberation of Palmyra by the Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition in March 2016]]
{{flagu|Iran}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Babak |last=Dehghanpisheh |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/iraq-security-iran-idINL6N0Q73ZU20140803 |title=Iran's elite Guards fighting in Iraq to push back Islamic State |publisher=Reuters |date=3 August 2014}}</ref> – military advisors, training, ground troops, and air power in Iraq and Syria, beside Iranian borders (''see Iranian intervention in Iraq'')

[[File:Russian Sukhoi Su-34 at Latakia (1).jpg|thumb|Russian [[Engineering:Sukhoi Su-34|Sukhoi Su-34]] in Syria]]
{{flagu|Russia}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Alexander |last=Smith |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/russia-tells-iraq-its-ready-support-fight-against-isis-n212136 |title=Russia Tells Iraq It's 'Ready' to Support Fight Against ISIS |publisher=NBC News |date=26 September 2014 |access-date=27 September 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |last=Nordland |first=Rod |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/30/world/middleeast/iraq.html |title=Russian Jets and Experts Sent to Iraq to Aid Army |date=29 June 2014 |work=The New York Times |access-date=28 September 2014}}</ref> – arms supplier to Iraqi and Syrian governments. In June 2014, the Iraqi army received Russian [[Engineering:Sukhoi Su-25|Sukhoi Su-25]] and [[Engineering:Sukhoi Su-30|Sukhoi Su-30]] fighter aircraft to combat the ISIL. Security operations within state borders in 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Aug-02/309357-russia-kills-8-isis-militants-in-caucasus-raid.ashx |title=Russia 'kills 8 ISIS militants' in Caucasus raid |work=The Daily Star |agency=Agence France-Presse |location=Beirut, Lebanon}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/30/l-todd-wood-russia-declares-counter-terror-ops-reg/ |first=L. Todd |last=Wood |title=Russia declares counter-terror ops regime in North Caucasus |work=The Washington Times |date=30 June 2015}}</ref> Airstrikes in Syria (see Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War).<ref>{{cite news |first1=Ed |last1=Payne |first2=Barbara |last2=Starr |first3=Susannah |last3=Cullinane |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/30/politics/russia-syria-airstrikes-isis/ |publisher=CNN |title=Russia launches first airstrikes in Syria |date=30 September 2015 |access-date=30 September 2015}}</ref>

{{flagu|Azerbaijan}}<ref>{{cite news |first=Giorgi |last=Lomsadze |url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/70141 |publisher=EurasiaNet.org |title=Azerbaijan Arrests Alleged ISIS and Other Islamic Fighters |date=24 September 2014 |access-date=18 February 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |url=http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2015/01/26/isis-azerbayjan/ |work=Panorama |title=Azerbaijani media: Embassy increases security in Baku because of ISIS threatening |date=26 January 2015 |access-date=18 January 2015}}</ref> – security operations within state borders

{{flagu|Pakistan}} – Military deployment over Saudi Arabia-Iraq border. Arresting ISIL figures in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Security forces arrest local Islamic State commander in Lahore: sources |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/825178/secuirty-forces-arrest-local-islamic-state-commander-in-lahore-sources/ |access-date=7 March 2015 |work=The Express Tribune |location=Lahore, Pakistan |agency=Reuters |date=21 January 2015}}</ref>

{{YEM}} (Supreme Political Council)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://almasalah.com/ar/news/144265/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%84-%D9%86%D9%88%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%AC%D9%8A |script-title=ar:الجيش واللجان الشعبية يستعيدون السيطرة على جبل نوفان الاستراتيجي|website=almasalah.com |language=ar}}</ref>

==== Other non-state opponents ====
{{Category see also|Category:Anti-ISIL factions}}
* {{flag|al-Qaeda}}{{r|winepJune14}}
* [[File:Flag of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.svg|25px]] [[Religion:Al-Nusra Front|al-Nusra Front]]<ref>{{cite news |title=ISIL, Nusra Clash Fiercely on Qalmoun Barrens: 25 Killed, Injured |url=http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?fromval=1&cid=23&frid=23&eid=186129 |work=Al-Manar News |date=17 December 2014}}</ref>—with localised truces and co-operation at times
* al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Todd |title=ISIS gaining ground in Yemen, competing with al Qaeda |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/21/politics/isis-gaining-ground-in-yemen/ |publisher=CNN |date=22 January 2015}}</ref>
* al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb<ref>{{cite news |first=Thomas |last=Joscelyn |title=Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb backs jihadists fighting Islamic State in Derna, Libya |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2015/07/al-qaeda-in-the-islamic-maghreb-backs-jihadists-fighting-islamic-state-in-derna-libya.php |date=9 July 2015 |work=Long War Journal}}</ref>
* [[Religion:Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Suspected Leader of Pro-IS Al-Shabab Faction Reported Killed |url=http://www.voanews.com/content/somalia-suspected-leader-of-pro-islamic-state-al-shabab-faction-reported-killed/3069114.html |date=22 November 2015 |work=Voice of America News}}</ref>
* [[File:Flag of Taliban.svg|25px]] [[Religion:Taliban|Taliban]]<ref>{{cite news |first=Lynne |last=O'Donnell |agency=Associated Press |title=ISIS reportedly moves into Afghanistan, is even fighting Taliban |work=The Seattle Times |date=12 January 2015 |url=http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2025445123_apxafghanistanislamicstate.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213191753/http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2025445123_apxafghanistanislamicstate.html |archive-date=13 February 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |title=ISIL and the Taliban |date=1 November 2015 |publisher=Al Jazeera English |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2015/11/islamic-state-isil-taliban-afghanistan-151101074041755.html}}</ref>
* [[File:Flag of Hamas.svg|22 px]] Hamas<ref>{{cite news |title=ISIL warns Hamas in video message |publisher=Al Jazeera English |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/isil-warns-hamas-video-message-150701042302630.html |date=1 July 2015}}</ref>
* {{flag|Hezbollah}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Mortada |first=Radwan |title=Hezbollah fighters and the "jihadis": Mad, drugged, homicidal, and hungry |url=http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-fighters-and-jihadis-mad-drugged-homicidal-and-hungry |work=Al Akhbar |date=19 May 2014 |access-date=8 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707040428/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/hezbollah-fighters-and-jihadis-mad-drugged-homicidal-and-hungry |archive-date=7 July 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Houthis}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-baghdadi-idUSKCN0IX1Y120141113 |title=Islamic State leader urges attacks in Saudi Arabia: speech |publisher=Reuters |date=13 November 2014}}</ref>
* [[File:Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg|22 px]] Kurdistan Workers' Party—ground troops in Iraqi Kurdistan and in Syrian Kurdistan<ref>{{cite web |last=Mohammed |first=A. Salih |url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/pkk-kurdish-fight-islamic-state.html |title=PKK forces impress in fight against Islamic State |date=1 September 2014 |publisher=Al-Monitor |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006140026/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/09/pkk-kurdish-fight-islamic-state.html |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Syrian Democratic Forces.svg}} Syrian Democratic Forces
* [[File:Emblem of the Nineveh Plain Protection Units.svg|22px]] Nineveh Plain Protection Units – an Assyrian Christian militia in the Nineveh Plains of Iraq and Syria<ref>{{cite news |title=Assyrians fight back in Iraq, Badanah village liberated from ISIS |first=Leith |last=Aboufadel |date=3 September 2016 |work=Al Masdar News |url=https://mobile.almasdarnews.com/article/assyrians-fight-back-iraq-badanah-village-liberated-isis/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag_of_the_Amal_Movement.svg}} Amal Movement<ref name="alarabi">{{cite web|url=https://alarabi.press/داعش-يقطع-رأس-شخصان-منتسبان-لـ-حركة/|title="داعش" يقطع رأس شخصان منتسبان لـ "حركة أمل" – الوكالة العربية للأخبار|website=alarabi.press|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Syrian Resistance Flag.svg}} Syrian Resistance – Suqur al-Furat<ref name="aymennjawad">{{cite web|url=http://www.aymennjawad.org/2017/08/suqur-al-furat-a-new-pro-assad-tribal-militia|author=Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi|website=aymennjawad.org|title=Suqur al-Furat: A Pro-Assad Sha'itat Tribal Militia :: Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Emblem of Liwa Al-Quds.svg|border=}} Liwa al-Quds<ref>{{cite news |first=Leith |last=Aboufadel |title=Breaking: Syrian Army Reopens the Ithriyah-Salamiyah Road in East Hama After Defeating ISIS |date=24 October 2015 |work=Al-Masdar News |url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/breaking-syrian-army-reopens-the-ithriyah-salamiyah-road-in-east-hama-after-defeating-isis/}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas SSI.svg}} Liwa Abu al-Fadhal al-Abbas
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces.svg}} Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas Forces
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine.svg}} Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine<ref>{{cite web |title="الجهاد الإسلامي": "داعش" عاجز أمامنا |trans-title=Islamic Jihad: ISIS is helpless before us |language=ar |date=21 July 2015 |work=Wattan.net |url=https://www.wattan.net/ar/news/140904.html}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Arab National Guard.svg}} Arab Nationalist Guard<ref name="alaraby">{{cite web|url=https://english.alaraby.co.uk/amp//flashnews/2017/3/22/مقتل-قائد-مليشيا-الحرس-القومي-العربي-في-سورية|website=english.alaraby.co.uk|title=مقتل قائد مليشيا "الحرس القومي العربي" في سورية|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|PFLP-GC Flag.svg}} Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command<ref name="raialyoum">{{cite web|url=https://www.raialyoum.com/index.php/مقتل-قيادي-في-الجبهة-الشعبية-القيادة/|title=مقتل قيادي في "الجبهة الشعبية – القيادة العامة" وجرح قيادات أخرى بينهم نجل أحمد جبريل على تخوم مخيم اليرموك – رأي اليوم|website=raialyoum.com|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Fatah Flag.svg}} Fatah al-Intifada<ref name="farsnews">{{cite web|url=https://ar.farsnews.ir/PrintNews/13940131000326|website=ar.farsnews.ir|title=FarsNews Agency|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Insignia of the Syrian Revolutionary Command Council.svg|border}} Syrian Revolutionary Command Council<ref name="iraqhurr">{{cite web|url=https://www.iraqhurr.org/a/27069160.html|website=iraqhurr.org|title=فصائل سورية مسلحة تتفق على إسقاط النظام ومحاربة داعش|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Taliban.svg}} Mujahideen Shura Council (Syria)<ref name="kassioun">{{cite web|url=https://kassioun.org/reports-and-opinions/item/7968-2014-05-28-08-56-11|title="مشمش" لقيادة القتال ضد "داعش" في المنطقة الشرقية|website=kassioun.org|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta.svg|border}} Unified Military Command of Eastern Ghouta<ref name="al-akhbar">{{cite web|url=https://al-akhbar.com/Syria/22127|website=al-akhbar.com|title=مسلّحو الغوطة الشرقية يتأهبون لمواجهة "داعش"!|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Fatah Halab operations room.jpg}} Fatah Halab<ref name="aa">{{cite web|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/ar/دولي/قائد-فتح-حلب-أوقفنا-تقدم-داعش-وانتقلنا-لمرحلة-الهجوم/40420|website=aa.com.tr|title=قائد "فتح حلب": أوقفنا تقدم داعش وانتقلنا لمرحلة الهجوم|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagicon image|Mare' Operations Room Insignia.svg}} Mare' Operations Room<ref name="alaraby2">{{cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/amp//politics/2016/4/20/قوات-المعارضة-تصد-هجوما-جديدا-لـ-داعش-شمال-حلب|website=alaraby.co.uk|title=قوات المعارضة تصدّ هجوماً جديداً لـ"داعش" شمال حلب|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|SYR}} Golan Regiment<ref name="almasdarnews">{{cite web|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/reinforcements-pour-palmyra-syrian-army-prepares-storm-city/|website=almasdarnews.com|title=More reinforcements pour into Palmyra as the Syrian Army prepares to storm the city|date=22 March 2016|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>
* {{flagdeco|Hezbollah}} Mukhtar Army<ref name="islamist-movements">{{cite web|url=https://www.islamist-movements.com/25617|website=islamist-movements.com|title=بوابة الحركات الاسلامية: "جيش المختار".. الجسد عراقي والعقل إيراني|access-date=17 January 2021}}</ref>

==== Al-Qaeda ====
[[File:Syrian Civil War map.svg|alt=|thumb|230x230px|Military situation in Syria in  March 2020]]
[[Religion:Al-Nusra Front|Al-Nusra Front]] is a branch of [[Religion:Al-Qaeda|al-Qaeda]] operating in Syria. Al-Nusra has launched many attacks and bombings, mostly against targets affiliated with or supportive of the Syrian government.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Roggio |url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/06/suicide_bombers_kill_14_in_dam.php |title=Suicide bombers kill 14 in Damascus |work=Long War Journal |date=11 June 2013 |access-date=3 June 2015}}</ref> There have been media reports that many of al-Nusra's foreign fighters have left to join al-Baghdadi's ISIL.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10067318/Syria-Jabhat-al-Nusra-split-after-leaders-pledge-of-support-for-al-Qaeda.html |title=Syria: Jabhat al-Nusra split after leader's pledge of support for al-Qaeda |work=The Telegraph |date=19 May 2013 |location=London |first=Richard |last=Spencer}}</ref>

In February 2014, after continued tensions, al-Qaeda publicly disavowed any relations with ISIL.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-qaeda-disavows-any-ties-with-radical-islamist-isis-group-in-syria-iraq/2014/02/03/2c9afc3a-8cef-11e3-98ab-fe5228217bd1_story.html |title=Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq |work=The Washington Post |first=Liz |last=Sly |date=3 February 2014 |access-date=7 February 2014}}</ref> However, ISIL and al-Nusra Front still cooperate with each other occasionally when they fight against the Syrian government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/jabhat-al-nusra-isis-alliance-could-spread-beyond-damascus-1877819 |title=Jabhat Al-Nusra And ISIS Alliance Could Spread Beyond Damascus |first=Erin |last=Banco |newspaper=International Business Times |date=11 April 2015}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Eugenio |last=Lilli |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11230622/How-would-a-deal-between-al-Qaeda-and-Isil-change-Syrias-civil-war.html |title=How would a deal between al-Qaeda and Isil change Syria's civil war? |work=The Telegraph |location=London |date=14 November 2014}}<br>{{bullet}}{{cite news |first=Mitchell |last=Prothero |url=http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/04/6207631/isis-joins-other-rebels-to-thwart.html |title=ISIS joins other rebels to thwart Syria regime push near Lebanon |newspaper=The Sacramento Bee |date=4 March 2014 |access-date=4 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006094834/http://www.sacbee.com/2014/03/04/6207631/isis-joins-other-rebels-to-thwart.html |archive-date=6 October 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{quote|text=The two groups [ISIL and al-Nusra] share a nihilistic worldview, a loathing for modernity, and for the West. They subscribe to the same perverted interpretations of Islam. Other common traits include a penchant for suicide attacks, and sophisticated exploitation of the internet and social media. Like ISIL, several Al Qaeda franchises are interested in taking and holding territory; AQAP has been much less successful at it. The main differences between Al Qaeda and ISIL are largely political—and personal. Over the past decade, Al Qaeda has twice embraced ISIL (and its previous manifestations) as brothers-in-arms. |author=Bobby Ghosh |source="ISIL and Al Qaeda: Terror's frenemies", ''Quartz''<ref>{{cite news |first=Bobby |last=Ghosh |url=http://qz.com/324909/isil-and-al-qaeda-terrors-frenemies/ |title=ISIL and Al Qaeda: Terror's frenemies |work=Quartz |date=12 January 2015}}</ref>}}
[[File:Iraqi Civil War map (2014–present).png|thumb|Military Situation in Iraq in May 2020]]
On 10 September 2015, an audio message was released by al-Qaeda's leader [[Biography:Ayman al-Zawahiri|Ayman al-Zawahiri]] criticising ISIL's self-proclaimed caliphate and accusing it of "sedition". This was described by some media outlets as a "declaration of war".<ref>{{cite news |first=James Gordon |last=Meek |title=Al Qaeda Leader Al-Zawahiri Declares War on ISIS 'Caliph' Al-Baghdadi |url=https://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-leader-al-zawahiri-declares-war-isis-151231254--abc-news-topstories.html |via=Yahoo! News |publisher=ABC News |date=10 September 2015}}</ref> However, although al-Zawahiri denied ISIL's legitimacy, he suggested that there was still room for cooperation against common enemies, and said that if he were in Iraq, he would fight alongside ISIL.<ref>{{cite news |first=Omar |last=Fahmy |date=9 September 2015 |title=Al Qaeda calls Islamic State illegitimate but suggests cooperation |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-zawahri-idUSKCN0R91LY20150909 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=11 September 2015}}</ref>

== Human rights abuse and war crime findings ==
In July 2014, the BBC reported the United Nations' chief investigator as stating: "Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may be added to a list of war crimes suspects in Syria."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28498661 |title=UN 'may include' Isis on Syrian war crimes list |work=BBC News|date=26 July 2014}}</ref> By June 2014, according to United Nations reports, ISIL had killed hundreds of prisoners of war<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-idUSKBN0GS10O20140828 Video shows Islamic State executes scores of Syrian soldiers]". Reuters. 28 August 2014.</ref> and over 1,000 civilians.{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

In November 2014, the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that ISIL was committing [[Social:Crimes against humanity|crimes against humanity]].{{r|Larson}}<ref>{{cite news |last=<!-- staff writer --> |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2014/11/14/ISIS-commits-crimes-against-humanity-in-Syria.html |title=ISIS accused of crimes against humanity |publisher=Al Arabiya |location=Dubai, United Arab Emirates |date=14 November 2014}}</ref> A report by Human Rights Watch in November 2014 accused ISIL groups in control of Derna, Libya of war crimes and [[Social:Human rights abuses|human rights abuses]] and of terrorising residents. Human Rights Watch documented three apparent [[Social:Summary execution|summary execution]]s and at least ten public floggings by the Islamic Youth Shura Council, which joined ISIL in November. It also documented the beheading of three Derna residents and dozens of seemingly politically motivated assassinations of judges, public officials, members of the security forces and others. Sarah Leah Watson, Director of HRW Middle East and North Africa, said: "Commanders should understand that they may face domestic or international prosecution for the grave rights abuses their forces are committing."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/11/27/libya-extremists-terrorizing-derna-residents |title=Libya: Extremists Terrorizing Derna Residents |publisher=Human Rights Watch |date=27 November 2014}}</ref>

Speaking of ISIL's methods, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has stated that the group "seeks to subjugate civilians under its control and dominate every aspect of their lives through terror, indoctrination, and the provision of services to those who obey".{{r|UNRuleOfTerror}}

== See also ==
* Al-Qaeda in Iraq
* ''Damascus Time''
* Islamic Military Alliance
* Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province, (ISIL-KP) an offshoot of ISIL operating primarily in  Afghanistan and South-East Asia
* Islamic State of Iraq
* It's On U
* List of armed groups in the Iraqi Civil War
* List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War
* List of wars and battles involving ISIL
* Rape during the Syrian Civil War
* [[Social:Violent extremism|Violent extremism]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== General bibliography ==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Abass |first=Ademola |year=2014 |title=Complete International Law: Text, Cases and Materials |edition=2nd |location=Oxford |publisher=[[Organization:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]] }}
* {{cite book |last=Al-Yaqoubi |first=Muhammad |year=2015 |title=Refuting ISIS: A Rebuttal Of Its Religious And Ideological Foundations |publisher=Sacred Knowledge |isbn=978-1-908224-12-5|title-link=Refuting ISIS: A Rebuttal Of Its Religious And Ideological Foundations}}
* {{cite news |last1=Boffey |first1=Daniel |title='Islamic State' is a slur on our faith, say leading Muslims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/13/term-islamic-state-slur-faith-david-cameron |work=The Guardian}}
* {{cite book |ref={{harvid|Bowering|2013}} |title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought |editor=Gerhard Böwering |url={{Google books|q1I0pcrFFSUC|plainurl=y}} |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2013 |isbn=978-0-691-13484-0}}
* {{cite news |last=Chulov |first=Martin |date=11 December 2014 |title=Isis: the inside story |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/11/-sp-isis-the-inside-story}}
* {{cite journal |last=Fishman |first=Brian |year=2008 |title=Using the Mistakes of al Qaeda's Franchises to Undermine Its Strategies |journal=Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |volume=618 |pages=46–54 |jstor=40375774 |doi=10.1177/0002716208316650|s2cid=146236345 }}
* {{cite news |last=Fraile Ordonez |first=Siobhan |title=The Non-Islamic Non-State |url=http://foreignaffairsreview.co.uk/2015/09/the-non-islamic-non-state/ |work=St Andrews Foreign Affairs Review |date=28 September 2015 |access-date=27 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214090027/http://foreignaffairsreview.co.uk/2015/09/the-non-islamic-non-state/ |archive-date=14 February 2019 |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Simon |first=Steven |year=2008 |title=The Price of the Surge: How U.S. Strategy Is Hastening Iraq's Demise |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63398/steven-simon/the-price-of-the-surge |magazine=Foreign Affairs |volume=87 |number=3 |pages=57–72, 74–76 |jstor=20032651 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Tausch |first=Arno |title=Estimates on the Global Threat of Islamic State Terrorism in the Face of the 2015 Paris and Copenhagen Attacks |journal=Middle East Review of International Affairs |publisher=Rubin Center, Research in International Affairs, Idc Herzliya, Israel |volume=19 |issue=1 |date=Spring 2015 |ssrn=2702356 |url=http://www.rubincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Tausch-YC1-revised-YC-au1-ADDED-GRAPHS-PDF.pdf |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180413135448/http://www.rubincenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Tausch-YC1-revised-YC-au1-ADDED-GRAPHS-PDF.pdf |archive-date=13 April 2018 |url-status=dead}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150701014856/http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811 The Islamic State] by [[Organization:Council on Foreign Relations|Council on Foreign Relations]]
* [http://www.counterextremism.com/threat/isis ISIS], Counter Extremism Project profile
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35695648 "'Islamic State': Raqqa's loss seals rapid rise and fall"] by BBC News
* ''Frontline'': [http://video.pbs.org/video/2365297690/ ''Losing Iraq''] (July 2014), [https://web.archive.org/web/20150906175013/http://video.pbs.org/video/2365356572/ ''The Rise of ISIS''] (October 2014), [http://video.pbs.org/video/2365496883/ ''Obama at War''] (May 2015), [http://video.pbs.org/video/2365527957/ ''Escaping ISIS''] (July 2015), documentaries by PBS
* [https://www.vice.com/video/islamic-state-full-length ''The Islamic State''], August 2014 documentary by [[Company:Vice News|Vice News]]
* [http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/articles/Art_20733/101_14_Ef_1329270214.pdf "ISIS: Portrait of a Jihadi Terrorist Organization"], report by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
* [http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve updates]
* [https://www.ctc.usma.edu/posts/the-group-that-calls-itself-a-state-understanding-the-evolution-and-challenges-of-the-islamic-state "The Group That Calls Itself a State"], publication by the Combating Terrorism Center


[[Category:Islam-related controversies]]

{{Sourceattribution|Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|1}}