Misplaced Pages

#920079

80-647: The party, through its incorporation into the Popular Mobilization Forces, has close ties to the Badr Organization and IRGC . Since the defeat of ISIS, the Babylon Movement has been accused a multitude of human rights abuses, including illegal land seizures in the Nineveh Governorate and election corruption. While the party claims to represent the interests of Iraqi Christians , primarily

160-511: A Caliphate , IS borrowed the idea of restoration of a global Caliphate. Although the religious character of IS is mostly Wahhabi, it departs from the Wahhabi tradition in four critical aspects: dynastic alliance, call to establish a global caliphate, sheer violence, and apocalyptism. IS did not follow the pattern of the first three Saudi states in allying the religious mission of the Najdi ulema with

240-414: A 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 Muhammad . In June 2014, ISIL published a document in which it claimed to have traced the lineage of its leader al-Baghdadi back to Muhammad, and upon proclaiming a new caliphate on 29 June, the group appointed al-Baghdadi as its caliph. As caliph, he demanded

320-415: A suicide vest , deliberately killing both himself and two children who had been living in the compound prior to the assault. 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. He said that "Russia treated us great... Iraq

400-552: A U.S.-led raid in Syria. In 2014, The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million people lived in the Islamic State. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has stated that IS "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". Civilians, as well as the Islamic State itself, have released footage of some of

480-458: 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. 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 shura council has

560-527: A disadvantage to foreign members, with some native Syrian fighters resenting "favouritism" allegedly shown towards foreigners over pay and accommodation. In August 2016, media reports based on briefings by Western intelligence agencies suggested that IS 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

640-447: A hybrid of Salafism , Salafi jihadism , Islamic fundamentalism , Wahhabism , and Qutbism , as well as other doctrines. 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 theoretician Sayyid Qutb ". The Muslim Brotherhood began the trend of political Islamism in the 20th century, seeking gradual establishment of

720-477: A journalist writing on Salafi jihadism , has written that IS's goal is to "terrorize, mobilize [and] polarize". 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

800-517: A lengthy battle that saw massive destruction to the city, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the full capture of Raqqa from IS. From 2013 to 2019, IS 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) for Syria, both ethnic Turkmen . Advising al-Baghdadi were

880-477: A new Caliphate , a comprehensive Islamic society ruled by sharia law. Qutb's doctrines of jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance), hakimiyya (divine sovereignty), and takfir of entire societies formed a radicalized vision of the Muslim Brotherhood's political Islam project. Qutbism became the precursor to all jihadist thought, from Abdullah Azzam to Zawahiri and to Daesh. Alongside Sayyid Qutb,

SECTION 10

#1732870167921

960-583: A potential leader or opponent". In Raqqa , after rebel forces drove out the Bashar al-Assad regime and ISIL infiltrated the town, "first dozens and then hundreds of people disappeared". Security and intelligence expert Martin Reardon has described IS'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. Jason Burke ,

1040-626: A significant following in northern and Sahelian Africa, where IS still controls a significant territory. Originating in the Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah founded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004, the organisation (primarily under the Islamic State of Iraq name) affiliated itself with al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought alongside them during the 2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency . The group later changed their name to Islamic State of Iraq and Levant for about

1120-603: 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." 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

1200-403: 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 IS channels. 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. A U.S. official later confirmed that Trump

1280-498: A terrorist organisation by the United Nations and others, IS—during its rule in northern Iraq—launched genocides against Yazidis and Iraqi Turkmen ; engaged in persecution of Christians , Shia Muslims , and Mandaeans ; publicised videos of beheadings of soldiers, journalists, and aid workers; and destroyed several cultural sites . The group has also perpetrated terrorist massacres in territories outside of its control, such as

1360-502: A worldwide caliphate . 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. 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

1440-456: A year, before declaring itself to be a worldwide caliphate , called simply the Islamic State ( الدولة الإسلامية , ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah ). As a caliphate, IS demanded the religious, political, and military obedience of Muslims worldwide , despite the rejection of its legitimacy by mainstream Muslims and its statehood by the United Nations and most governments. Designated

1520-575: Is "to exert the greatest possible influence on the central government in Baghdad and at the same time to build the strongest possible Shiite militias that are dependent on Iran". The foundation compared the role of the organization with that of Hezbollah in Lebanon . Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Primary target of The Islamic State ( IS ), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and

1600-408: Is considered as the key inspiration for early figures of IS. Al-Muhajir's legal manual on violence, Fiqh ad-Dima ( The Jurisprudence of Jihad or The Jurisprudence of Blood ), was adopted by IS as its standard reference for justifying its extraordinary acts of violence. The book has been described by counter-terrorism scholar Orwa Ajjoub as rationalising and justifying "suicide operations,

1680-636: Is represented by the symbolism in the Black Standard variant of the legendary battle flag of Muhammad that it has adopted: the flag shows the Seal of Muhammad within a white circle, with the phrase above it, " There is no god but Allah ". This symbolism is said to symbolize IS's belief that it represents the restoration of the caliphate of early Islam , with all the political, religious and eschatological ramifications that this would imply. Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir, an Egyptian Jihadist theoretician and ideologue

SECTION 20

#1732870167921

1760-501: 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 IS claimed credit for). IS has been described as a terrorist group adhering to Salafi jihadism . Raqqa in Syria was under IS control from 2013 and in 2014 it became the group's de facto capital city. On 17 October 2017, following

1840-639: The 2023 Iraqi governorate elections . On July 18, 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the al-Kildani for alleged human rights violations, including harassment and blackmailing of women and illegal land seizures. The Chaldean Catholic Church issued a statement confirming that it has nothing to do with the Babylon Brigades, nor al-Kildani as its leader or its members in the Iraqi parliament , and that it doesn't represent them. The Babylon Movement has previously engaged in public spouts with Cardinal Sako of

1920-771: 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. Although violence was not absent in the First Saudi State, Islamic State's displays of beheading, immolation, and other forms of violence aimed at inspiring fear are not in imitation of early Saudi practices. They were introduced by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, former leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, who took inspiration from

2000-564: The Assyrian people , a majority of the party's voters and members are Shia Muslim, since a ruling in 2009 designated that any Iraqi could vote for designated minority seats. The Babylon Movement was founded in 2014, initially as a militia group in order to defend the Nineveh Plains from the onset of ISIS. His movement had been the only Christian component of the Popular Mobilization Forces, and had about 1000 fighters. The brigade had taken part in

2080-606: The Badr Brigades or Badr Corps , is an Iraqi Shia Islamist and Khomeinist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi al-Amiri . The Badr Brigade, formed in 1982 and led by Iranian officers, served as the military arm of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shia Islamic party based in Iran. The Badr Brigade was created by Iranian intelligence and Shia cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim with

2160-574: The Iran–Iraq War . The group was armed and directed by Iran. They briefly returned to Iraq in 1991 during the 1991 Iraqi uprising to fight against Saddam Hussein, focusing on the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala . They retreated into Iran after the uprising was crushed. In 1995, during the Kurdish Civil War , Iran deployed 5,000 Badr fighters to Iraqi Kurdistan. Returning to Iraq following

2240-632: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq. It is a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces . The organization was formed in Iran in 1982 as the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq . It was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein and led by Iranian officers. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and Iraqi Army defectors who fought alongside Iranian troops in

2320-704: The Nineveh Plain Protection Units , and the Bakhdida wedding fire . The Babylon Movement has also been noted for its hijacking of Assyrian political representation in Iraq. In 2024, al-Kildani instituted a mass change of political leadership in the Nineveh Plains with Babylon Movement proxies, replacing 15 leaders appointed by the Kurdish-backed Nineveh Provincial Council. Badr Organization The Badr Organization ( Arabic : منظمة بدر Munaẓẓama Badr ), previously known as

2400-501: The November 2015 Paris attacks ), to polarise by driving Muslim populations – particularly in the West – away from their governments, thus increasing the appeal of IS's self-proclaimed caliphate among them, and to: "Eliminate neutral parties through either absorption or elimination". Journalist Rukmini Maria Callimachi also emphasises IS's interest in polarisation or in eliminating what it calls

2480-748: The November 2015 Paris attacks , the 2024 Kerman bombings in Iran, and the 2024 Crocus City Hall attack in Russia. After 2015, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces pushed back IS and degraded its financial and military infrastructure, assisted by advisors, weapons, training, supplies, and airstrikes by the American-led coalition , and later by Russian airstrikes, bombings, cruise missile attacks, and scorched-earth tactics across Syria, which focused mostly on razing Syrian opposition strongholds rather than IS bases. By March 2019, IS lost

Babylon Movement - Misplaced Pages Continue

2560-410: The "grey zone" between the black (non-Muslims) and white (IS). "The gray is moderate Muslims who are living in the West and are happy and feel engaged in the society here." A work published online in 2004 entitled Management of Savagery ( Idarat at Tawahoush ), described by several media outlets as influential on IS and intended to provide a strategy to create a new Islamic caliphate, recommended

2640-433: The 'Daesh cutthroats'." 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, which nonetheless remained a pejorative in 2021. The ideology of the Islamic State , or Islamic Statism has been described as being

2720-578: The 2003 US-led invasion, the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by the Coalition Provisional Authority . It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of running a secret prison and sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War . Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein,

2800-592: The Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall of Baghdad , Badr forces reportedly joined the newly reconstituted army, police, and the Interior Ministry in significant numbers. The Interior Ministry was controlled by SCIRI, and many Badr members became part of the Interior Ministry-run Wolf Brigade . The Iraqi Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr ,

2880-755: The Badr Organization mobilized and won a series of battles against ISIL, including the Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhr and the Lifting of the Siege of Amirli . In early February 2015, the group, operating from its base at Camp Ashraf , fought in Diyala Governorate against ISIL. Over 100 militia were killed in the fighting, including 25 in Al Mansouryah . Badr's leader, Hadi al-Amiri , said his militiamen were committed to

2960-560: The Badr Organization). The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) recognized a rise in the Shiite Badr organization since 2014 under the leadership of its Secretary General Hadi al-Amiri. In 2017, SWP wrote that the Badr organization is one of "the most important actors in Iraqi politics". It has become the most important instrument of Iranian politics in Iraq. Its aim

3040-470: The Egyptian Jihadi scholar, Abu Abdallah Al Muhajir. It is the latter's legal manual on violence, popularly known as Fiqh ad-Dima (The Jurisprudence of Blood), that is the Islamic State's standard reference for justifying its acts of violence. The Islamic State's apocalyptic dimension also lacks a mainstream Wahhabi precedent. IS aims to return to the early days of Islam, rejecting all innovations in

3120-529: 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

3200-436: The Levant ( ISIL ), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ), the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham ( ISIS ) and by its Arabic acronym Daesh , is a transnational Salafi jihadist group. IS gained global prominence in 2014, when its militants conquered large territories in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the ongoing civil war in Syria and the disintegrating local military forces of Iraq. By

3280-534: 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. Since at latest 2004, a significant goal of the group has been the foundation of a Sunni Islamic state . Specifically, ISIL has sought to establish itself as

Babylon Movement - Misplaced Pages Continue

3360-703: The Muslim lands were dealt with, according to the Islamist manual Management of Savagery . Documents found after the death of Samir Abd Muhammad al-Khlifawi, a former colonel in the intelligence service of the 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

3440-486: The Qur'an and Muslim traditions. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi , the first Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq , was radicalised as a Muslim Brotherhood member during his youth. 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. Through

3520-536: The Salafi-jihadi movement that evolved out of the Afghan jihad. One difference between IS and other Islamist and jihadist movements, including al-Qaeda , is the group's emphasis on eschatology and apocalypticism – that is, a belief in a final Day of Judgment by God. IS believes that it will defeat the army of "Rome" at the town of Dabiq . The noted scholar of militant Islamism Will McCants writes: References to

3600-514: The US Joint Special Operations Command . On 30 November 2022, IS announced that their unidentified leader had been killed in battle and named a successor, providing no additional information other than his pseudonym . A spokesman for U.S. Central Command confirmed that IS's leader had been killed in mid-October by anti-government rebels in southern Syria. On 16 February 2023, senior IS leader Hamza al-Homsi blew himself up in

3680-524: The US State Department, David Kilcullen , has said that "There undeniably would be no Isis if we had not invaded Iraq." It has been reported that Iraqis and Syrians have been given greater precedence over other nationalities within IS because the group needs the loyalties of the local Sunni populations in both Syria and Iraq in order to be sustainable. Other reports, however, have indicated that Syrians are at

3760-564: The United States to combat terrorism. Russia had previously claimed Baghdadi was killed in May 2019 by their airstrike. In September 2019, a statement attributed to IS's propaganda arm, the Amaq news agency , claimed that Abdullah Qardash was named as al-Baghdadi's successor. Analysts dismissed this statement as a fabrication, and relatives were reported as saying that Qardash died in 2017. Rita Katz ,

3840-605: The United States, Canada, Turkey, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other countries generally call the group ISIL, while much of the Arab world uses the 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

3920-538: The aim of fighting the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq War . Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq , most of the Badr Brigade fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force. Since 2003, the Badr Brigade and SCIRI were considered to be one party, but have recently unofficially separated with the Badr Organization now being an official Iraqi political party. Badr Brigade forces, and their Iranian commanders, have come to prominence in 2014 fighting

4000-685: The allegiance of all devout Muslims worldwide according to Islamic jurisprudence ( fiqh ). ISIL has detailed its goals in its Dabiq magazine, saying it will continue to seize land and take over the entire Earth until its: 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. According to German journalist Jürgen Todenhöfer , who spent ten days embedded with ISIL in Mosul ,

4080-596: The church, with both sides accusing each other of stealing properties for the benefit of themselves and/or their respective organization. It was also denied by Assyrian Christian MPs such as Imad Youkhana and Yonadam Kanna , where the representatives stated that the Babylon Brigades and their leader do not represent Christians, that Rayan himself is far from Christianity and the battalions led by him represent him personally. The movement has been implicated in several instances of prior human rights violations against Assyrians, including looting of villages, kidnapping of members of

SECTION 50

#1732870167921

4160-483: The current Saudi Arabian government in that category. IS believes that only a legitimate authority can undertake the leadership of 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, IS regards the Palestinian Sunni group Hamas as apostates who have no legitimate authority to lead jihad and see fighting Hamas as

4240-531: The end of 2015, its self-declared caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million, where they enforced their extremist interpretation of Islamic law , managed an annual budget exceeding US$ 1   billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters. After a grinding conflict with American, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, IS lost control of all its Middle Eastern territories by 2019, subsequently reverting to insurgency from remote hideouts while continuing its propaganda efforts . These efforts have garnered

4320-430: The first step towards confrontation by IS with Israel. Yemeni journalist Abdulelah Haider Shaye said: 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. The Islamic State added a focus on sectarianism to a layer of radical views. In particular, it linked itself to

4400-613: The group adopted the name ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq wa-sh-Shām ( الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام ). As al-Shām is a region often compared with the Levant or the region of Syria , the group's name has been variously translated as "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham ", "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (both abbreviated as ISIS), or "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (abbreviated as ISIL). 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

4480-429: The group from official Saudi religious beliefs. What connection, if any, there is between Salafi-Jihadism of IS and Wahhabism and Salafism proper is disputed. IS borrowed two elements of Qutbism and 20th century Islamism into its version of Wahhabi worldview. While Wahhabism shuns violent rebellion against earthly rulers, IS embraces political call to revolutions. While historically Wahhabis were not champion activists of

4560-514: 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 as "one who sows discord"). Within areas under its control, ISIL considers use of the name Daesh punishable by flogging . In late June 2014, the group renamed itself ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah ( lit.   ' Islamic State ' or IS), declaring itself

4640-426: The hard-line ideology of al-Qaeda and many other modern-day jihadist groups. 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

4720-485: 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

4800-527: The large scale defense of the Nineveh governorate with the Battle of Mosul , and helped to liberate the city from ISIS. The Babylon Movement entered the Iraqi parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2018 , however they weren't able to attain any results until 2021 . Allegations have been leveled towards al-Kildani regarding vote corruption in the attainment of these seats in the election. He obtained similar results in

4880-638: The last of its territories in West Asia , although its affiliates maintained a significant territorial presence in Africa as of 2024. The Islamic State, abbreviated IS, is also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL / ˈ aɪ s ɪ l / ), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS / ˈ aɪ s ɪ s / ), and by its Arabic acronym Da'ish or Daesh ( داعش , Dāʿish , IPA: [ˈdaːʕɪʃ] ), and also as Dawlat al-Islam (Arabic: دولة الإسلام). In April 2013, having expanded into Syria,

SECTION 60

#1732870167921

4960-575: The main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi , is a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia, which was one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another was the Mahdi Army of the young cleric Muqtada al-Sadr , who is now part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning

5040-408: The members of its military and security committees and the majority of its emirs 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. The former Chief Strategist in the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism of

5120-752: The mid-December election. Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counterinsurgency units such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions, and the Tigers, but the commandos and even the highway patrol police were accused of acting as death squads during this period over a decade ago. The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, were dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People arrested by them during this period were frequently found dead several days later with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture." Following ISIL 's successful Anbar campaign and June 2014 offensive ,

5200-485: The most invoked ideological figures of IS include Ibn Taymiyya , Abdullah Azzam, and Abu Bakr Naji . Although IS claims to adhere to the Salafi theology of Ibn Taymiyyah , it rejects traditional Salafi interpretations as well as the four Sunni schools of law, and anathematizes the majority of Salafis as heretics . IS ideologues rarely uphold adherence to Islamic scholarship and law manuals for reference, mostly preferring to derive rulings based on self-interpretation of

5280-442: The mutilation of corpses, beheading, and the killing of children and non-combatants." His theological and legal justifications influenced IS, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram , as well as several other jihadi terrorist groups. Numerous media outlets have compared his reference manual to Abu Bakr Naji 's Management of Savagery , widely read among IS's commanders and fighters. IS adheres to global jihadist principles and follows

5360-624: The official statement of beliefs originally released by al-Baghdadi in 2007 and subsequently updated since June 2014, ISIL defined its creed as "a middle way between the extremist Kharijites and the lax Murji'ites ". ISIL's ideology represents radical Jihadi-Salafi Islam, a strict, puritanical form of Sunni Islam . Muslim organisations like Islamic Networks Group (ING) in America have argued against this interpretation of Islam . ISIL promotes religious violence , and regards Muslims who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates . According to Hayder al Khoei, IS's philosophy

5440-403: The religion, which it believes corrupts its original spirit. It condemns later caliphates and the 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, IS condemns the followers of secular law as disbelievers, putting

5520-439: The safety of Sunnis , but deep mutual suspicions remained in the light of recent sectarian killings and the suspicion that some Sunni tribes were allied with IS. A leaked US diplomatic cable cited sources alleging that Hadi al-Amiri personally ordered attacks on Sunnis. The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft, and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to

5600-548: The sides of an official missionary van. According to The Economist , Saudi practices followed by the group include the establishment of religious police to root out "vice" and enforce attendance at Salah prayers, the widespread use of capital punishment , and the destruction or re-purposing of any non- Sunni religious buildings. Bernard Haykel has described IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's creed as "a kind of untamed Wahhabism". Senior Saudi religious leaders have issued statements condemning IS, and attempting to distance

5680-402: The task of ensuring that all decisions made by the governors and councils comply with the group's interpretation of sharia . While al-Baghdadi had told followers to "advise me when I err" in sermons, according to observers "any threat, opposition, or even contradiction is instantly eradicated". According to Iraqis, Syrians, and analysts who study the group, almost all of IS's leaders—including

5760-508: The territory it controls. In a speech in September 2014, United States President Barack Obama said that ISIL was neither Islamic (on the basis that no religion condones the killing of innocents) nor a state (in that no government recognises the group as a state), 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 ,

5840-466: The vast majority of Muslims. While the use of either one or the other acronym has been the subject of debate, the distinction between the two and its relevance has been considered less important. Of greater relevance is the name Daesh, which is an acronym of ISIL's Arabic name ad-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām. Dāʿish ( داعش ), or Daesh. This name has been widely used by ISIL's Arabic-speaking detractors, for example when referring to

5920-447: 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 Quran will be killed. Todenhöfer was struck by the ISIL fighters' belief that "all religions who agree with democracy have to die", and by their "incredible enthusiasm" – including enthusiasm for killing "hundreds of millions" of people. When the caliphate

6000-566: Was a former leader of Badr Brigade militia. In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by the Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control. According to a 2006 report by the Independent newspaper: "Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was 'acting as a rogue element within the government'. It was controlled by

6080-491: Was believed to be under the overall command of IS's most senior Syrian operative, spokesman and propaganda chief Abu Mohammad al-Adnani until his death by airstrike in late August 2016. 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

6160-567: Was excellent. We really had great cooperation" and Turkey knew they were going in. He thanked Turkey, Russia, Syria, Iraq and the Syrian Kurdish forces for their support. 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. Fahrettin Altun , a senior aide to Turkish President Tayyib Erdogan, also stated, among other things, that "Turkey

6240-607: 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." This was a rejection of the political divisions in Southwestern Asia that were established by the UK and France during World War I in the Sykes–Picot Agreement . All non-Muslim areas would be targeted for conquest after

6320-421: 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." 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

6400-404: Was referring to IS spokesman and senior leader Abul-Hasan al-Muhajir , who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Syria two days earlier. On 31 October, IS named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi as Baghdadi's successor. On 3 February 2022, it was reported by a US official that al-Hashimi killed himself and members of his family by triggering an explosive device during a counter-terrorism raid by

#920079