ISIL Declares Formation of ‘Islamic State’

And Its Leader as ‘Emir al-Momineen’

On Sunday, the first day of Ramadan, ISIL declared the creation of an Islamic caliphate on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria. The group said the flag of its caliphate flied from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diayal province in eastern Iraq. (Reuters/Washington Post, 30 June)

ISIL spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani announced in an audio statement posted on the Internet that the 7th-century Islamic caliphate has been restored, and ISIL will simply be known as the Islamic State. The group also declared that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and Iraqi, will be the new “Emir al-Momineen,” (Commander or Leader of the Faith), and all Muslims worldwide will be required to pay allegiance to him. The title is meant to endow al-Baghdadi with the legacy of the leadership of Prophet Mohammad, the founder of Islam.

The “Islamic State” also announced on Sunday that it had repelled a massive Iraqi military counteroffensive against the city of Tikrit, which fell under its control on 11 June as its militants swept large parts of northern Iraq.

Photo: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL, which declared him the new “Emir al-Momineen.” (BBC)