لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (Arabic) Lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh, Muhammadun rasūlu llāh (Shahada) "There is no god butGod;Muhammad is themessenger of God"[1]
دَوْلَةُ الْإِسْلَامِ بَاقِيَةٌ وَتَتَمَدَّدُ (Arabic) Dawlat al-Islām Baqiya wa Tatamaddad "The Islamic State remains and expands"[1]
خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ (Arabic) Khilāfah ala Minhāj an-Nubuwwah "Caliphate Upon the Prophetic Methodology"[2][3]
In early 2017, IS controlled approximately 45,377 square kilometers (17,520 square miles) of territory in Iraq and Syria and 7,323km2 of territory elsewhere, for a total of 52,700 square kilometres (20,300 sq mi).[14] This represents a substantial decline from the group's territorial peak in late 2014, when it controlled between 100,000 and 110,000 square kilometres (39,000 and 42,000 sq mi)[14][19] of territory in total.[14][20] IS territory has declined substantially in almost every country since 2014, a result of the group's unpopularity and the military action taken against it.[14] By late March 2019, IS territory in Syria was reduced to only the besieged 4,000 km2 (1,550 sq mi)Syrian Desert pocket.[21] The enclave was surrounded by Syrian government forces and its allies.[22][23][21] The Syrian military conducted combing operations and airstrikes against the pocket, but with limited success.[24][25] IS propaganda claims a peak territorial extent of 282,485km2.[26]
The majority of the Islamic State's territory, population, revenue, and prestige came from the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria.[14] InAfghanistan, IS mostly controls territory near thePakistan border and has lost 87% of its territory since spring 2015.[14] InLebanon, IS alsocontrolled some areas on its border at the height of the Syrian war. InLibya, the group operates mostly as a moving insurgent force, occupying places before abandoning them again.[27] InEgypt, the group controls 910km2 of land centered on the small city ofSheikh Zuweid, which represents less than 1% of Egypt's territory.[14] InNigeria,Boko Haram (at the time an IS affiliate) controlled 6,041km2 of territory at its maximum extent in 2014, though most of this area was lost amid military reversals and a split within Boko Haram between pro- and anti-IS factions.[14] By late 2019, however, IS's African forces had once again seized large areas in Nigeria;[28] as of 2021, IS's African forces still run their own administrations in territories they control.[29][30] As of 2022, most of IS's territory is confined to northeastern Nigeria and northern Mozambique, alongside large swathes of eastern Mali.[31]
The fifth edition of the Islamic State'sDabiq magazine explained the group's process for establishing new provinces.Jihadist groups in a given area must consolidate into a unified body and publiclydeclare their allegiance to thecaliph. The group must nominate aWāli (Governor), aShura Council (religious leadership), and formulate a military strategy to consolidate territorial control and implementSharia law. Once formally accepted, IS considers the group to be one of its provinces and gives it support.[32]Dabiq has acknowledged support in regions includingEast Turkestan,Indonesia and thePhilippines, and claimed that IS would eventually establish wilayat in these areas after forming direct relationships with its supporters there.[32]
This overview sectionduplicates the intended purpose of the article'slead section, which should provide an overview of the subject. Please merge it with the introduction, move its content to other sections, or retitle the section to give it a clear scope.(June 2025)
IS spokesmanAbu Muhammad al-Adnani said "the legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null by the expansion of the khilafah's [caliphate's] authority and arrival of its troops to their areas."[33] IS thus rejects the political divisions established by Western powers duringWorld War I in theSykes–Picot Agreement as it absorbs territory in Syria and Iraq.[34][35][36] TheLong War Journal writes that the logical implication is that the group will consider preexisting militant groups likeAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) andAl-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) illegitimate if they do not nullify themselves and submit to IS's authority.[37]
While branches in Libya and Egypt have been very active and attempted to exercise territorial control, branches in other countries like Algeria and Saudi Arabia have been less active and do not seem to have a strong presence.[38][39]
Since 2022, there have been no further provinces officially announced by IS. This is despite the group receiving public pledges of allegiance from militants in countries like Somalia, Bangladesh and the Philippines, and subsequently releasing statements and videos from those regions through its official media channels.[40][41][42] Analyst Charlie Winter speculates that this is due to the lackluster performance of many of IS's existing provinces, and that IS's leadership seems to be identifying new affiliates as simply"soldiers of the caliphate."[43]
Loss of "caliphate" territory led IS to conduct more terrorist attacks abroad.[44]
The Islamic State primarily claimed territory inSyria andIraq, subdividing each country into multiplewilayat (provinces), largely based on preexisting governance boundaries.[45][46] The first territorial claims by the group outside of Syria and Iraq were announced by its leader,Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on 13 November 2014, when he announced new wilayats, or provinces, inLibya (Wilayah Barqah,Wilayah Tarabulus, andWilayah Fazan),Algeria (Wilayah al-Jazair),Sinai, Egypt (Wilayah Sinai),Yemen (Wilayah al-Yaman), andSaudi Arabia (Wilayah al-Haramayn).[47][48] In 2015, new provinces were also announced in theAfghanistan–Pakistan border (Wilayah Khurasan),[38] Northern Nigeria (Wilayah Gharb Ifriqiyyah),[49] theNorth Caucasus (Wilayah al-Qawqaz),[50] and theSahel (Sahil).[51]
Since mid-2018, IS has referred to its territory in the Levant simply asWilayat al-Sham and has done the same with Iraq calling itWilayat al-Iraq, but still continues to acknowledge and use references to specific regions in those territories, this has also been done with its claims in Yemen and Libya.[60]
As of 2022, the group seems to have increased its efforts in Syria compared to Iraq,[61] and has been reduced to several pockets in the Syrian desert, with local tribesmen acting as informants for the U.S. and other coalition forces. Despite this, the group managed to orchestrate a major prison break in January 2022.[17][62]
Territory of the Islamic State in Afghanistan at its peak
On 29 January 2015,Hafiz Saeed Khan,Abdul Rauf and other militants in the region swore an oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Khan was subsequently named as the Wāli (Governor) of a new branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan calledKhurasan Province, named after the historicalKhorasan region.[63][64][65]
IS attempted to establish themselves in Southern Afghanistan, especially inKandahar andHelmand provinces, but were resisted by Taliban forces.[66][67][68] They were able to establish a foothold in parts ofNangarhar, and recruited disaffected members of the Taliban.[69] In August 2015, theIslamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, Usman Ghazi, swore allegiance to IS and announced that the group should be considered part of Wilayah Khurasan.[70]
The group suffered reversals in 2016, losing control of some territory in the wake of attacks from US Forces, the Afghan Government[71] and the Taliban.[72] Hafiz Saeed Khan was reportedly killed in a US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan on 25 July 2016.[73]
In 2019, the group announced a new Pakistan province (Wilayah Pakistan).[74] Despite this, as of 2022, the Khorasan province continues to operate in the country, also operating against neighboring Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where some members have suggested that aMovarounnahr (or Transoxiana) province is established.[75] In July 2022, a Tajik-language magazine calledAl-Azaim Tajiki was endorsed by the group, named after Yusuf al-Tajiki, a propagandist for the group killed by the Taliban.[76]
Since theTaliban's2021 offensive, which ended with thetakeover of Kabul and the end of the20-year war in the country, IS-K have become a new focus for the group, with its funding and numbers increasing as a result of prison breaks of IS fighters during the offensive and subsequent recruiting.[17] Efforts have also increased to recruit fighters from neighboringUzbekistan.[77]
IS divides Libya into three historical provinces, claiming authority overCyrenaica in the east,Fezzan in the desert south, andTripolitania in the west, around the capital ofTripoli.[78][79]
In 2014, a number of leading IS commanders arrived in the city ofDerna, which had been a major source of fighters in theSyrian civil war andIraqi insurgency. Over a number of months, they united many local militant factions under their leadership and declared war on anyone who opposed them, killing judges, civic leaders, local militants who rejected their authority, and other opponents. On 5October 2014, the militants, who by then controlled part of the city, gathered to pledge allegiance to the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[80][81] In February 2015, IS forcestook over parts of the Libyan city ofSirte. In the following months, they used it as a base to capture neighbouring towns includingHarawa,[82] andNofaliya.[83] IS began governing Sirte and treating it as the capital of their territory.[84]
As of March 2015, the group claimed control over the following oil fields in Libya:[85]
IS suffered reversals from mid-2015 when they were expelled from much of Derna following clashes with rival militants,[86] following months of intermittent fighting, IS eventually redeployed to other parts of Libya.[87] Its emirAbu Nabil al-Anbari was killed in a U.S. air strike in November 2015.[88] Libya'sInterim Government launched amajor offensive against IS territory around Sirte in May 2016,[89][90] capturing the city by December 2016.[91]
The group's current emir is Abu Bara al Sahrawi, who replaced Adnan Abu Walid al Sahrawi after his death in August 2021.[17]
Map that shows Islamic Control areas in Sinai at its peak in July 2020
The Egyptian militant groupAnsar Bayt al-Maqdis swore allegiance to IS in November 2014. After al-Baghdadi's speech on 13 November, the group changed its name toSinai Province on the Twitter feed claiming to represent the group.[48] The group has carried out attacks in Sinai.
On 1 July 2015,Wilayat Sinai launched a large-scale invasion on the Egyptian city ofSheikh Zuweid with more than 300 IS fighters and attacked more than 15 army and police positions using mortars, RPG's, light and heavy weapons in an attempt to capture the city.
In 2020, IS in Egypt occupied villages inBir al-Abd town in North Sinai.
As of 2022, the group continues to attack local infrastructure, but has diminished due to persistent counterterrorism efforts by the Egyptian government and armed forces, who operate with the assistance of local tribesmen.[17][93]
IS established aYemeni Wilayah in November 2014.[47][38] The branch's first attack occurred in March 2015, when it carried outsuicide bombings on two Shia Mosques in the Yemeni capital.[94] At least eight IS Wilayat, named after existing provincial boundaries in Yemen, have claimed responsibility for attacks, including'Adan Abyan Province,Al-Bayda Province,Hadramawt Province,Shabwah Province andSana'a Province.[49] Following the outbreak of theYemeni Civil War in 2015, IS struggled to establish much of a presence in the country in the face of competition from the larger and more establishedAl-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militant group. Many of IS's regional cells in Yemen have not been visibly active since their establishment and the group has not been able to seize control of territory the way they have done in Iraq and Syria.[95] The group has also experienced leadership turmoil and defections from its rank and file.[96]
As of 2022, the group serves a key financial intermediary between Somalia and Khorasan provinces.[17]
Territorial control in Northeastern Nigeria in 2022
On 7 March 2015,Boko Haram's leaderAbubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to IS via an audio message posted on the organisation's Twitter account.[97][98]Abu Mohammad al-Adnani welcomed the pledge of allegiance, and described it as an expansion of the group's caliphate toWest Africa.[99] IS publications from late March 2015 began referring to members of Boko Haram as part ofWilayat Gharb Ifriqiyyah (Islamic State's West Africa Province).[49] Boko Haram suffered significant reversals in the year following the pledge of allegiance, with an offensive by the Nigerian military, assisted by neighboring powers, driving them from much of the territory they had seized in North East Nigeria.[100] Boko Haram suffered a split in 2016, with IS appointing 'Abu Musab al-Barnawi' as the group's new leader, due to disagreements with Abubakar Shekau's leadership. This was rejected by Shekau and his supporters, who continued to operate independently.[101][102]
On 24 January 2022, the small town ofGudumbali was captured and declared as the province's capital. However, it was recaptured by Nigerian troops on 26 January.[103]
In the summer of 2022, ISWAP made several territorial gains in Nigeria.[104]
As of September 2022, the group continues to maintain its stronghold in northeastern Nigeria, and has again integrated or eclipsed its former competitor Boko Haram, as several fighters have rejoined the group. The group also orchestrated a prison break in July, nearAbuja.[17]
In October 2022, the town ofAnsongo was captured by IS's Sahel province.[105]
TheIslamic State in Somalia (ISS) has been active since 2015, and though it remains a small militia of around 300 fighters, it has been considered possible by experts that ISS controls a number of villages inPuntland's hinterland.[106] Furthermore, the group managed tocapture and hold the town ofQandala for over a month in late 2016. At first, ISS did not receive official recognition by the Islamic State,[107] however, this was subsequently granted by December 2017.[108]
As of 2022, the group serves as an intermediary for IS provinces in Africa and the leadership based in Syria and Iraq. It also finances ISKP via Yemen.[17]
TheIslamic State – Sahel Province was formed on 15 May 2015 as the result of a split within the militant groupAl-Mourabitoun. The rift was a reaction to the adherence of one of its leaders,Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahraoui,[109] to theIslamic State. From March 2019 to 2022, IS-GS was formally part of theIslamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP);[110] when it was also called "ISWAP-Greater Sahara".[111] In March 2022, IS declared the province autonomous, separating it from its West Africa Province[17] and naming it Islamic State – Sahel Province (ISSP) the group would go on to takeover large swathes of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Between 2022 and 2023, the groupsaw major gains in theMali War, occupying large swarths of territory in southeastern Mali.Tidermène was captured by the group on 12 April 2023.[112]
Abu Sayyaf is IS's most powerful affiliate in the Philippines; another IS-affiliated group is theMaute group. Both groups worked together with other IS affiliates to seize parts of Marawi City on 23 May 2017, starting theBattle of Marawi.[113]
On 16 October, IS'sEmir of Southeast AsiaIsnilon Hapilon, along with the Maute group's remaining leaderOmar Maute was killed by theArmed Forces of the Philippines. Previously, the Maute group's co-leader and Omar's brotherAbdullah Maute, as well as their other five male siblings, had been neutralized by the ongoing counter-offensives. Two days after the leaders' death, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Malaysian terrorist and senior commanderMahmud Ahmad is also presumed killed in another operation.
The Battle of Marawi was declared over by 23 October by the government, at which point all participating militants have been successfully neutralized, effectively blocking IS's Asian expansion. The government wiped out theMaute group after the battle.
In December 2017, remnants of the Maute group started recruiting new members to form a new group called "Turaifie Group" whose leader, Abu Turaifie, claimed himself to be a successor of former leader Abu SayyafIsnilon Hapilon.[114]
As of 2022, only pockets in Indonesia and the Philippines remain, and major attacks have decreased as a result of successful counterterrorism efforts by the governments of both states.[17]
During 2023, IS witnessed a major resurgence in the Philippines (especially from August), with the group claiming more attacks in the country than during the previous 2 years combined, including several significant attacks such as theMindanao State University bombing inMarawi.[115][116]
On 22 March 2024, the Philippines announced that Abu Sayyaf had been "fully dismantled", bringing an end to the decades-long jihadist insurgency.[117]
According to the Islamic State Al-Naba newspaper, the group continued to conduct attacks on the Philippine Government and Army and the Moro militias until 11 April, which is yet to be confirmed by official Philippine Government sources.[citation needed]
In October 2017, a video emerged on pro-IS channels that showed a small number of militants in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo who declared to be part of the "City of Monotheism and Monotheists" (MTM) group. The leader of the group went on to say that "this isDar al-Islam of the Islamic State in Central Africa" and called upon other like-minded individuals to travel to MTM territory in order to join the war against the government. TheLong War Journal noted that though this pro-IS group in Congo appeared to be very small, its emergence had gained a notable amount of attention from IS sympathizers.[118] On 24 July 2019, a video was released referring to IS's presence in the country as the Central African Wilayat showing fighters pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.[119]
As of 2022, the group has doubled its territory and increased its numbers as a result of orchestrated prison breaks, with 2,000 prisoners freed since 2020.[17]
After taking control of the Mozambican town ofMocímboa da Praia during anoffensive in August 2020, local IS insurgents declared it the capital of their province. The militants consequently expanded further by capturing several islands in the Indian Ocean, withVamizi Island being the most prominent.[120]
In addition to its territorial administration, the group also establisheddāwāwīn (ministries) for the political administration of the quasi-state under al-Baghdadi's administration,[146][147][148] modelled afterAbu Ayyub al-Masri's infrastructure for theIslamic State of Iraq.[149]
Responsible for education in a regular and extremist context.[150] Its first minister wasReda Seyam.
Services Diwan al-Khidamat
June 2014
Responsible for the administration of public spaces, such as parks and roads. One example of the latter was the construction of "Caliphate Way", a highway built in the industrial area of Mosul, which reduced congestion in the area.[151]
Responsible for dealing with nomadic tribes in the core region of IS. While the group committed atrocities against tribes such asAl-Shaitat and documents obtained after the group's loss of territory reflect a harsh tone against the nomadic groups, other documents show organized deliveries of supplies to the same groups. Thisdīwān was also known as an Office.
TheHisbah (religious police) served this ministry, being in charge of enforcing the group's version of Islamic jurisprudence (sharia law) in public.
Judgement and Grievances Diwan al-Qada waal-Mazalim
?
Responsible for enforcing and clarifying judicial matters (e.g.Islamic court) and family and marriage-related issues. Also based in medieval Islam.[clarification needed]
Responsible for the regulation of agriculture and livestock. ARAND study revealed that harvests in IS territory were relatively normal, with commercial vehicle traffic increasing under the new administration. Only with the loss of territory and access to resources such as electricity did harvests begin to decay around 2016.[154]
Fatwa and Investigation Diwan al-Ifta' wa al-Buhuth
?
Responsible for issuing and clarifyingfatwas. It also wrote and published text media used in training camps through its publishing bodyMaktabat al-Himma.
Soldiery Diwan al-Jund
?
Responsible for theArmy of the Islamic State and its management, training and distribution. It is sometimes referred to as the "Soldiers Department".[153]
Responsible for the publishing bodies of IS, such asAlHayat Media Center, al-Furqan Media Foundation,Al-Bayan radio, Ajnad Foundation,Al-Naba, and Maktabat al-Himma. It is also in charge of the publication of magazinesDabiq,Dar al-Islam,Konstantiniyye,Istok, and later onRumiyah. Additionally, it's the ministry in charge of translations.
Responsible for administering and distributing war spoils that come from battles.
Real Estate Diwan al-'Aqarat wa al-Kharaj
?
Responsible forreal estate seized from non-Muslims or abandoned by its original owners in order to accommodate regular and new fighters or civilians.[156]
Islamic State had created various regional offices during the period (2017–2019) to organize & direct its human and other resources & reviving its external operational capability.[157][158][159]
The “most vigorous and best-established” of IS's offices set up at the centre to oversee the wilayats are:
Al-Siddiq office in Afghanistan, which “covers South Asia and, according to some UN Member States, Central Asia”;
Al-Karrar office in Somalia, which also covers Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); and
Al-Furqan office in the Lake Chad basin, where the borders of Niger, Chad, Cameroon, and Nigeria converge. The Furqan office covers these states in North Africa and the broader western Sahel, overseeing ISGS/ISSP.
IS's other “three regional offices are low-functioning or moribund”, says the Monitoring Team, and these are:
Al-Anfal office in Libya, which covered “parts of northern Africa and the Sahel”;
TheUmm al-Qura office “based in Yemen and … responsible for the Arabian Peninsula”; and
TheZu al-Nurayn office in the Sinai Peninsula “responsible for Egypt and the Sudan”.[157][160][159][158]
ISWAP collects thezakat, a traditional Muslim tax and form ofalmsgiving which is used to provide for the poor. ISWAP'szakat has been featured in propaganda distributed by IS's newspaper,al-Naba.[161] ISWAP's "Zakat Office" is known to operate fairly systematically and effectively, raising substantial funds to support both ISWAP as well as local civilians.[162][163]
The territories inIraq andSyria, which was occupied by the Islamic State and claimed as part of its self-dubbed "Caliphate"[164] saw the creation of one of the most criminally active, totalitarian corrupt and violent regimes in modern times, and it ruled that territory until its defeat in 2019.[165] IS murdered tens of thousands of civilians,[166]kidnapped several thousand people, and forced hundreds of thousands of others to flee. It systematically committed torture,mass rapes,forced marriages,[167] extreme acts ofethnic cleansing,mass murder,genocide,robbery,extortion,smuggling,slavery,kidnappings, and the use ofchild soldiers; in its implementation of strict interpretations ofSharia law which were based on ancient eighth-century methods, they carried out public "punishments"[168] such asbeheadings,crucifixions, beatings,mutilation anddismemberment, thestoning of both children and adults, and the live burning of people. IS members committed rape against tens of thousands of girls and women (mainly members of non-Sunni minority groups and families).
On 29 May, IS raided a village in Syria and at least 15 civilians were killed, including, according to Human Rights Watch, at least six children.[169] A hospital in the area confirmed that it had received 15 bodies on the same day.[170] TheSyrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that on 1 June, a 102-year-old man was killed along with his whole family in a village inHama province.[171] According toReuters, 1,878 people were killed in Syria by IS during the last six months of 2014, most of them civilians.[172]
After capturing cities in Iraq, IS issued guidelines on how to wear clothes and veils. IS warned women in the city of Mosul to wear full-face veils or face severe punishment.[178] A cleric told Reuters in Mosul that IS gunmen had ordered him to read out the warning in his mosque when worshippers gathered. IS ordered the faces of both male and female mannequins to be covered, in an order which also banned the use of naked mannequins.[179] In Raqqa the group used its two battalions of female fighters in the city to enforce compliance by women with its strict laws on individual conduct.[180]
IS released 16 notes labelled "Contract of the City", a set of rules aimed at civilians inNineveh. One rule stipulated that women should stay at home and not go outside unless necessary. Another rule said that stealing would be punished by amputation.[181][182] In addition to banning the sale and use of alcohol, IS banned the sale and use of cigarettes andhookah pipes. It also banned "music and songs in cars, at parties, in shops and in public, as well as photographs of people in shop windows".[183]
According toThe Economist, the group also adopted certain practices seen in Saudi Arabia, including the establishment ofreligious police to root out "vice" and enforce attendance atdaily prayers, the widespread use ofcapital punishment, and the destruction of Christian churches and non-Sunni mosques or their conversion to other uses.[184]
IS carried out executions on both men and women who were accused of various acts and found guilty of crimes against Islam such assodomy,[185]adultery, usage and possession ofcontraband,rape,blasphemy,witchcraft,[186]renouncing Islam andmurder. Before the accused were executed, their charges were read to them and the spectators. Executions take various forms, includingstoning to death,crucifixions, beheadings, burning people alive, and throwing people from tall buildings.[187][188][189][190] The Islamic State in Iraq frequently carried out mass executionsin Mosul andHawija.
The Islamic State wouldpersecute Christians in its territory in ways which involves the systematic mass murder.[204][205][206] Persecution of Christian minorities climaxed following the Syrian civil war and later by itsspillover but has since intensified further.[207][208][31] Christians have been subjected to massacres,forced conversions, rape, sexual slavery, and the systematic destruction of their historical sites, churches and other places of worship.
The depopulation of Christians from the Middle East by the Islamic State as well as other organisations and governments has been formally recognised as an ongoing genocide by theUnited States,European Union, andUnited Kingdom. Christians remain the most persecuted religious group in the Middle East, and Christians in Iraq are “close to extinction”.[209][210][211] According to estimates by theUS State Department, the number ofChristians in Iraq has fallen from 1.2 million 2011 to 120,000 in 2024, and the numberin Syria from 1.5 million to 300,000, falls driven by persecution by Islamic terrorists.[31]
Shia Muslims were also persecuted, since 2014. Persecutions have taken place inIraq,Syria, and other parts of the world.
Shia Muslims have been killed and otherwise persecuted by IS. On 12 June 2014, the Islamic State killed 1,700 unarmed ShiaIraqi Army cadet recruits in theCamp Speicher massacre.[212][213][214] IS has also targeted Shia prisoners.[215] According to witnesses, after the militant group took the city ofMosul, they divided the Sunni prisoners from the Shia prisoners.[215] Up to 670[216] Shia prisoners were then taken to another location and executed.[215] Kurdish officials inErbil reported on the incident of Sunni and Shia prisoners being separated and Shia prisoners being killed after the Mosul prison fell to IS.[215]
In a special report released on 2 September 2014,Amnesty International described how IS had "systematically targeted non-Sunni Muslim communities, killing or abducting hundreds, possibly thousands, of individuals and forcing more than tens of thousands of Shias, Sunnis, along with other minorities to flee the areas it has captured since 10 June 2014". The most targeted Shia groups inNineveh Governorate were ShiaTurkmens andShabaks.[217]
Cemetery inQayyarah,Iraq, destroyed by the Islamic State (November 2016)
Since 2014, the Islamic State has destroyedcultural heritage on an unprecedented scale, primarily in Iraq and Syria, but also in Libya. These attacks and demolitions targeted a variety of ancient and medieval artifacts, museums, libraries, and places of worship, among other sites of importance to human history. BetweenJune 2014 and February 2015, the Islamic State'sSalafi jihadists plundered and destroyed at least 28 historic religious buildings inMosul alone, with the most notable event being the 2014destruction of Mosul Museum artifacts.[218] Many of the valuables that were looted during these demolitions were used to bolster theeconomy of the Islamic State.[218]
^In October 2015, a film was released showing how theGold Dinar would be introduced as the sole official currency of the proto-state.De facto, however, it saw limited circulation. In the areas where it saw circulation, it was forbidden to use other currencies with the exception of the dollar. Other areas saw the use of different types of currencies such as theSyrian pound and theIraqi dinar.[15]
^abcdefghijklSome provinces existed onlyde jure as the Islamic State did not exercise control over these territories
^A faction known as the "Islamic State in Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda" was set up in April 2016, but was only active in Somalia as well as Kenya for a short time.
^abcdSince mid-2018, IS has referred to its territory in theLevant simply asWilayat al-Sham and has done the same withIraq calling itWilayat al-Iraq, but still continues to acknowledge and use references to specific regions in those territories. This has also been done with its claims in Libya and Yemen.[60][134]
^A Propaganda video under the name "Hunt Them Down, O Monotheists", used the nameWilayat al-Somal (Somalia Province).[108] Since then, however, the new name has not been consistently applied to the group by pro-IS media.[142]
^The Islamic State controlled some territory outside of itswilayat under theKhalid ibn al-Walid Army until 2018, which administered its territory fromAl-Shajara.
^Also known as theDiwan of Education or theDiwan of Education and Teaching of Islamic State.
^Another official name is theDiwan of Resources, and it is also known as theDiwan of Natural Resources or theDiwan of Precious Resources.
^Also known as theDiwan of Central Media orMinistry of Information (Arabic:وزارة الإعلام).
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