The Spread of the Caliphate: The Islamic State (Part 1)
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The
Islamic State, a hardline
Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of
Iraq and
Syria.
Previously known as the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (
ISIS), the group has announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their leader, the shadowy
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.
Flush with cash and US weapons seized during recent advances in Iraq, the Islamic State’s expansion shows no
sign of slowing down. In the first week of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in northern Iraq, encroaching on
Kurdish territory and sending Christians and other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.
Elsewhere in territory it has held for some time, the Islamic State has gone about consolidating power and setting up a government dictated by
Sharia law. While the world may not recognize the Islamic State, in the
Syrian city of Raqqa, the group is already in the process of building a functioning regime.
VICE
News reporter Medyan Dairieh spent three weeks embedded with the Islamic State, gaining unprecedented access to the group in Iraq and Syria as the first and only journalist to document its inner workings. In part one, Dairieh heads to the frontline in Raqqa, where Islamic State fighters are laying siege to the
Syrian Army’s division 17 base.
Watch our 5 Part documentary '
The Battle for Iraq' - http://bit.ly/1nmit6C
Read Now:
Total Chaos in
Northern Iraq as Islamic State
Takes Country's Largest Dam - http://bit.ly/1yaqbSO
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