Islamic State of Iraq

This article is about the group active during the Iraq War (2003–2011) and until 2013. For the current entity it became, see Islamic State.
This article is about the terrorist group. For the state, see Republic of Iraq.
Islamic State of Iraq
دولة العراق الإسلامية
ad-Dawlah al-Islāmīyyah fī 'l-ʿIrāq
LeadersAbu Omar al-Baghdadi † (2006–2010) Leader
Abu Ayyub al-Masri † (2006–2010) War Minister and Prime Minister
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (2010–2013)
Dates of operation15 October 2006 – 8 April 2013[1]
Merger of
Active regionsMap – refer to following caption
Map of the Islamic State of Iraq and its provinces on 7 April 2007
IdeologySalafism
Anti-Shi'ism[3]
Allies Al-Qaeda[4][5]
Opponents Multi-National Force – Iraq
Iraq
 Syria[6]

Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army (Some groups)
Autonomous Administration of North and East SyriaKurdistan Region Kurdish Supreme Committee and allied groups

Battles and warsIraqi insurgency (2003–2011)

Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013)

Syrian Civil War

Designated as a terrorist group by Iraq[7]
 Malaysia[8]
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The Islamic State of Iraq (ISI; Arabic: دولة العراق الإسلامية Dawlat al-ʿIrāq al-ʾIslāmiyyah) was a Salafi jihadist militant organization that fought the forces of the U.S.-led coalition during the Iraqi insurgency. The organization aimed to overthrow the Iraqi federal government and establish an Islamic state governed by Sharia law in Iraq.

Islamic State of Iraq traces its origins to Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (JTJ) group, which was formed by the Jordanian national Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Jordan in 1999. Al-Zarqawi led the group, until his death in June 2006. Jama'at fought the American occupation forces during the early Iraqi insurgency following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and on 17 October 2004 al-Zarqawi had pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network; and the group became known as "Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn" (commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq).[11][12][13] In January 2006, AQI and seven other Sunni guerrilla groups formed the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC), which on 15 October 2006 disbanded to form the "Islamic State of Iraq" organization, led by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi as its first Emir.[14] Announcing the dissolution of both AQI and the MSC, al-Baghdadi declared that the previous organizations have been replaced by ISI.[15]

Within weeks, former AQI leader Abu Hamza al-Muhajir pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi and became ISI's war minister, thereby transferring control of around 22,000 AQI fighters and volunteers to ISI.[15] At its height during 2006–2008, ISI declared the city of Baqubah as its capital and governed territories in its strongholds of Mosul, Al-Anbar, as well as in the regions of Baghdad and Diyala. The organization also maintained a formidable military force. The area under its control began diminishing following the American troop surge in 2007, during which dozens of ISI leaders were killed by the forces of the U.S.-led coalition. Although unaffiliated with the al-Qaeda network,[16][17] the ISI was often labeled by U.S. military forces as "al-Qaeda in Iraq" until 2013.[18]

ISI Emir Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Hamza al-Muhajir were killed during a military operation by U.S.-led coalition forces on a safehouse on 18 April 2010. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the Emir of ISI after the death of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. On 7 April 2013, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi re-designated ISI as the "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL), officially announcing the group's expansion into Syria and its intention to absorb the Al-Nusra Front. Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri strongly denounced the announcement and officially demanded the withdrawal of ISIL from Syria. The ensuing events ignited a full-scale global conflict between ISIL and Al-Qaeda. After ISIL's rapid territorial expansion during its June 2014 Northern Iraq offensive, the group renamed itself as "ad-Dawlah al-Islāmiyah" (lit. 'Islamic State') and proclaimed itself to be a caliphate.[19]

  1. ^ Haroro Ingram; Craig Whiteside; Charlie Winter (March 2020). "The Declaration of the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham". The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement. Oxford University Press. pp. 149–160. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197501436.003.0007. ISBN 978-0-19-750143-6.
  2. ^ "Islamic State: The Changing Face of Modern Jihadism" (PDF). Quilliam Foundation. November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b Hassan Hassan (13 June 2016). "The Sectarianism of the Islamic State: Ideological Roots and Political Context". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  4. ^ Caillet, Romain (27 December 2013). "The Islamic State: Leaving al-Qaeda Behind". Carnegie Middle East Center. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017.
  5. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (June 2014). The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement (PDF). Research Notes (Report). Vol. 20. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023. On October 15, a statement titled "Announcing the Establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq" was released by Muharib al-Juburi, ISI's new information minister. And on November 10, AQI's replacement for Zarqawi, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, pledged bayah to the newly appointed leader of ISI, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi. ... Zarqawi's death invalidated MSM's implied pledge to bin Ladin. This means that, in effect, the group and its subsequent incarnations have not technically been subordinate to al-Qaeda in eight years.
  6. ^ "Al Qaeda claims killing of 48 Syrian soldiers in Iraq". France 24. 2013-03-11. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  7. ^ "محكمة عراقية تحكم بإعدام عضوين بتنظيم "دولة العراق الإسلامية"". 23 June 2013.
  8. ^ http://www.moha.gov.my/images/maklumat_bahagian/KK/kdndomestic.pdf Archived 2022-10-09 at Ghost Archive [bare URL PDF]
  9. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (June 2014). The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement (PDF). Research Notes (Report). Vol. 20. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  10. ^ Zelin, Aaron Y. (June 2014). The War between ISIS and al-Qaeda for Supremacy of the Global Jihadist Movement (PDF). Research Notes (Report). Vol. 20. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  11. ^ Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, translated by Jeffrey Pool (18 October 2004). "Zarqawi's pledge of allegiance to al-Qaeda: From Mu'Asker Al-Battar, Issue 21". Jamestown. Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  12. ^ "Al-Zarqawi group vows allegiance to bin Laden". NBC News. Associated Press. October 18, 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
  13. ^ Gordon Corera (16 December 2004). "Unraveling Zarqawi's al-Qaeda connection". Jamestown. Jamestown Foundation. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference FT15Oct06 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ a b Perkoski, Evan (2022). "5: Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State". Divided, Not Conquered: How Rebels Fracture and Splinters Behave. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 158, 159. ISBN 9780197627075.
  16. ^ Sources:
  17. ^ Lund, Aron (3 February 2014). "A Public Service Announcement From Al-Qaeda". Carnegie Middle East Center. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017.
  18. ^ Jessica D. Lewis (September 2013). "Al-Qaeda in Iraq Resurgent" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  19. ^ Atassi, Basma (9 June 2013). "Qaeda chief annuls Syrian-Iraqi jihad merger". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020.