ISIS Declares a Caliphate, in a ‘New Era of International Jihad’

The Washington Post reports that the Sunni extremists pushing through swaths of Iraq and Syria, until Sunday known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have officially declared the creation of a formal Islamic state and will henceforth be known, simply, as the Islamic State (IS).

“In an audio statement posted on the Internet, the spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria announced the restoration of the 7th-century Islamic caliphate, a long-declared goal of the al-Qaida renegades who broke with the mainstream organization early this year and have since asserted control over large areas spanning the two countries,” write Liz Sly and Loveday Morris.

The group’s spokesman, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, said the move signifies “a new era of international jihad” and declared an end to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The group will be known now as IS “in recognition of the breakdown of international borders achieved as a result of the group’s conquests, al-Adnani said. ISIS’s chief, an Iraqi known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, will be the caliph, or leader, of the new caliphate, and all Muslims worldwide will be required to pay allegiance to him.”

Meanwhile, the Telegraph reports that IS allegedly “crucified” nine people over the weekend in Syria, a punishment to rebel fighters from opposing factions.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-backed watchdog group, says that one man “has survived being crucified by Isis in Syria, after the jihadists raided his village and nailed him to a cross for eight hours. The unnamed man from al-Bab, near the border with Turkey, was crucified as a punishment.” It reports that eight others who received the same punishment died.

The men, from Deir Hafer in eastern Aleppo province, were crucified “in the main square of the village, where their bodies will remain for three days,” the Observatory says. The nine were reportedly rebels who were fighting IS.

Iran “Ready to Use Syria Methods” in Iraq

Iran says it is ready to help Iraq fight an armed uprising “using the same methods it deployed against opposition forces in Syria,” suggesting it could take a large role in battling the Sunni militants threatening Baghdad.

al-Jazeera reports that “Iranian leaders to date have said they would help defend Shia Muslim shrines in neighboring Iraq if necessary, but have also said Iraqis were capable of doing that job themselves.” Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei said last week said that he rejected the idea of intervention in Iraq by either the U.S. and other outside powers.

Iran’s al-Alam television quoted Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, deputy joint chief of staff of the armed forces and a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officer, as saying that his country’s response to the IS militias would be “certain and serious.” He also said Iran would monitor the crisis in Iraq as it had “in Syria and other troubled areas in the region.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team

WSJ: Militants Leverage Iraq Gains in Syria

LA Times: ISIS Weapons Windfall May Alter Balance in Iraq, Syria Conflicts

Guardian: ISIS Declares Caliphate in Iraq and Syria