The Islamic State it is a self-proclaimed state by terrorists of different nationalities. It is not recognized by any government or the UN.
Currently, they dominate cities in Syria and Iraq, and carry out attacks against the civilian population of European and Middle Eastern countries.
The Islamic State is also known by its acronym in English, Isis; or in Arabic, Daesh .
Origin
The Islamic State was born in 2003 when Iraq was occupied by American troops after the 9/11 attacks.
Its founder, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi , of Jordanian nationality, was responsible for the Al-Qaeda group in Iraq. Hence he carried out numerous bombings against Muslim civilians in Iraq and Jordan.
His ideas were considered more ambitious than those of Osama Bin Laden, as Zarqawi intended to call for a jihad and founding an Islamic State. This would have as territory countries such as Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006 by American troops, but his ideals had already spread and won many adherents.
Islamic State
Territory the Islamic State wants to conquer
After the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, Abu Bakral-Baghdadi takes over the leadership of the group. In a public appearance in the newly conquered Iraqi city of Mosul, he proclaims himself caliph in June 2014.
A caliph is the successor of Mohammed, founder of Islam and its function is to rule the caliphate . In turn, the caliphate is a territory where all Muslims would live according to the original Islam.
The members of the Islamic State also follow Salafism – a political movement that evokes jihad against the West.
Jihad literally means the “ effort in the way of God”. In this sense, it can be the personal effort that the believer makes to follow God's will in his life. However, there are Islamic currents that interpret it as waging holy war against the infidels.
As they have a leader, a territory and a flag, the Islamic State gives itself the right to practice justice in the conquered regions. In such a way, the fatal sentences we watch on TV are carried out after trials, as they apply capital punishment to those who do not submit to the caliph.
It is important to remember that, in 2011, Abu Bakral-Baghdadi did not recognize the Egyptian doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri as the top leader of Al-Qaeda. In this way, the two organizations followed different paths to achieve their goals.
Outside Support
In addition to the regular army, the Islamic State has thousands of groups around the world.
They are usually unemployed youth, without work and who feel marginalized in the western societies where they live and are co-opted through social networks. Also petty criminals are radicalized in prisons while serving time.
This operational mode has been called “terrorism without borders”, as anyone who identifies with these ideas can carry out an attack on behalf of the Islamic State. Unfortunately, this has happened all too often in various parts of the globe such as London, Paris and Kabul.
The funding of this terrorist group comes from the smuggling of crude oil, ransoms demanded in kidnappings and the sale of antiquities.
Islamic State fighters turn the destruction of statues into real spectacles in front of the cameras. Behind the scenes, however, they sell most of these objects for gold to collectors, obtaining money for their criminal activities.
Islamic State in Syria
After the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, part of his group goes to Syria during the Arab Spring in June 2011 and joins the rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad .
However, the Islamic State quickly began to act independently, taking advantage of the fact that the Syrian central government was unable to control the situation. This is how they conquer important cities such as Raqa, which is proclaimed the capital of the Islamic State, and the historic city of Palmyra, where they damage important monuments.
The Muslim civilian population of these territories must recognize them as leaders or leave leaving all their possessions. If they don't, they kill men and enslave women and children. Christians and followers of other religions, on the other hand, have their property confiscated, are expelled from the territory or killed.
Understand what happens in the Syrian War.
Islamic State in Iraq
While fighting in Syria, the Islamic State also went on the offensive in Iraq where they conquered important cities such as Sinjar and Tikrit. The latter of enormous symbolic importance as it is the birthplace of Saladin and Saddam Hussein.
But the main achievement was the conquest of Mosul, Iraq's second city, in June 2014. The zone would be retaken in a battle a year later with a coalition that involved the United States, Iran, United Kingdom, Canada and the Kurdish army, Peshmerga. .
Fighting the Islamic State
A coalition of 60 countries including the US, England, France, Japan and Jordan is trying to fight the Islamic State. At the same time, they have the support of the Iraqi Kurds with the peshmerga army and Shia soldiers.
In turn, the Islamic State receives support from North Korea and Iran.