UCDP

General information

Part of Conflict: Syria: Islamic State

Date of first stated goals of incompatibility: 2013-04-08
Comment on date of first stated goal of incompatibility: On 8 April 2013 Abu Bakr Al-Husseini Al-Quraishi Al-Baghdadi made a public statement declaring the merging of forces between the Islamic State of Irac and Jabhat Al-Nusra. This merger would be called the Islamic State in Iraq and Al-Sham. "so we declare keeping our trust in Allah abolishing the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and abolishing the name of Jabhat Al-Nusra, and joining them under one name “The Islamic State in Iraq and Al-Sham” and also uniting the banner which is the banner of the Islamic State the banner of the Khilafah Insha’Allah, Allah Almighty" ... "With this declaration the name of Islamic State of Iraq and the name of Jabhat AlNusra will fade away Allah willing and disappear in our dealings and they will be part of the history of our blessed jihad as the previous and we in the same time extend our wide hands and open our arms and hearts to the factions doing jihad for the sake of Allah Almighty and the proud tribes in the beloved land of Al-Sham to make the word of Allah the most high and that the people and land be ruled by the laws of Allah Almighty without anyone other than Allah having any share in the rule, the Almighty says: (And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah) 39 Surah Al-Anfal, so welcome to who agrees with us to not to leave the arms until we rule with the Sharia of Allah Almighty..."

Abu Mohammad Al-Jolani, the head of al-Nusra, quickly rejected the claim of the joint forces but after this statement ISIS surfaced in Syria.

In June 2014 ISIS changed its name again to the Islamic State and declared the caliphate.

ISIS seeked to establish a caliphate and ultimately overthrow the Westphalian nation-state model

Date of first use of armed force: 2013-05-14
Comment on date of first use of armed force: On 19 April 2013 heavy clashes flared up in the vicinity of the Syrian army's 17th Division base in al-Raqqa governorate, it is unclear but possible that soldiers from ISIS took part in these clashes since it was impossible to differentiate between ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra during April 2013 in Raqqa. In events in August 2013 ISIS is described as having withdrawn from the front lines of the battle for the 17th Division to consolidate their position within Raqqa.

On 14 May 2013 three people, accused of being captured army officers, were executed in Raqqa city. A statement connected to the executions was made in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
First Battle Related Death: 2013-03-26
Comment on First Battle Related Death: On 14 May 2013 three people, accused of being captured army officers, were executed in Raqqa city. A statement connected to the executions was made in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Date when dyad reached 25 battle releated deaths: 2013-07-25
Comment on date when dyad reached 25 battle related deaths: On 26 July the Syrian army shelled the Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo killing 33 civilians as they targeting rebel headquarters, including a base of the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), "But the missile fell dozens of metres (yards) away,".

Conflict issues

Conflict Goal Issues: Islamic State, al-Dawla al-Islamiya, (IS) was a Salafist-Sunni Islamist global rebel group that emerged in Iraq and Syria in 2004. The group originally emerged with the goals of toppling the Iraqi regime and replacing the government with an Islamic state with Sharia law as well as ousting the occupying forces currently residing in the country, but its goals drastically shifted as it grew in size to wish to establish a global Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia law. Whilst the group was international for the majority of its existence, IS is considered a rebel group involved in several dyads as the group fought against, and attempted to overthrow, several individual governments as part of its international aims, and has been coded as such. However, many IS statements were not pertaining to specific countries, and the project has, hence, chosen to code them as pertaining to all countries with significant IS presence. Finally, whilst various groups have claimed allyship and adherence to IS, only statements from official IS groups have been coded by the project as legitimate sources for interpreting conflict issues. IS officially emerged in Syria following an expansion from Iraq in 2013, although earlier communications from the group that were made during its emergence in Iraq were interpreted as pertaining to both the Syrian and Iraqi government. During the year of its original emergence, the group pronounced several conflict goal issues. They called for the oppression of Sunni Muslims by “hateful rejectionists and the occupying crusaders” (non-believers, Shiites, and the occupying forces) to be ended and for their religious rights to be restored and respected. IS also stated its intent in changing the political and judicial system through the establishment of an Islamic State governed by Sharia law.

As the conflict progressed, the IS continuously reaffirmed its intent in protecting religious rights and changing the political and judicial system in Iraq. Furthermore, many new issues were pronounced by the group and related international IS groups, which is why only issues that were mentioned continuously will be discussed in this narrative. In the beginning of the conflict, as a part of its plan to establish an Islamic State, the group began calling for the ousting of the Iraqi government with accusations of governmental corruption. The group also called attention to blasphemous acts perpetrated by Iraqi soldiers whilst also calling for the restriction of non-Sunni and non-Muslim religious rights. The group also indicated for cultural rights of Muslims to be protected, although this was not as frequently mentioned throughout the conflict as the other issues. In 2007, the group was pushed back significantly by coalition forces, and was, thus, far less communicative until 2009. In 2009, these issues were reemphasized, and also joined with calls for law and order to be protected and for economic reform, which are two issues the IS would continuously call for toward the latter stages of the coded conflict. During 2014 IS initiated a clear shift in policy, goal, and aims toward the establishment of an international Islamic caliphate, which came shortly after IS emergence into Syria. This also had an effect on the pronounced conflict goal issues as the group became more communicative and more focused on becoming positively regarded by international Muslims. Likely for this reason, IS began calling for the civil rights and basic needs of Muslims to be protected and respected, whilst also calling for gender-, civil-, and religious rights to be restricted for non-Muslims. The group also began calling for and implementing changes to infrastructure to ensure the availability of public services in their controlled areas. Finally, they also began calling for increased religious, particularly Sunni-Muslim, teachings in schools.

Throughout the conflict, IS continuously pronounced several conflict goal issues as important to the group. Preventing blasphemy, changing the judicial system, establishing an Islamic State, ousting the government, protecting Muslim rights, and restricting religious rights of non-believers were all frequently mentioned throughout the conflict. The most heavily emphasized issues were, however, the establishment of an Islamic state, the establishment of Sharia law, and the protection of Muslim rights, as these were frequently stated with heavy emphasis and became foundational pillars for the Islamic State as a group, which is why they are considered its main issues.

Conflict Dynamics Issues: During the first year of the group’s existence, IS stated several conflict dynamics issues. They called attention to collective targeting and structural oppression of Sunni Muslims based on their faith, whilst also calling for the collective targeting of non-Muslims in Iraq. The group also heavily emphasized the removal of foreign forces and foreign influence from Iraqi soil: ‘lift the injustice suffered by the Sunnis overpowered by the hateful rejectionists and the occupying crusaders, and to assist the oppressed, and restore his rights to him’. They also called for the release of prisoners.

As the conflict progressed, the IS began calling attention to alleged atrocities against Muslim civilians based on their religious beliefs, which would become a commonly stated issue for the group. They also continued to emphasize the removal of foreign forces and influence throughout the entire coded conflict. The group also continued its emphasis on collective targeting of non-Muslims, specifically calling for the targeting of ‘Kuffar’ (non-believers). IS also began calling for vengeance against atrocities committed against Muslims and called for the international Muslim diaspora to assist the group’s cause financially and militarily. These two issues would become heavily emphasized after 2014 as well. Throughout the conflict, IS released sparse statements pertaining to collective targeting of political supporters of the government and non-commissioned members of the military and for international financial support from non-Muslims, although these were not continuously stated.

The main conflict dynamics issues of the IS were the calls for removal of foreign forces, calls for collective targeting of non-Muslims, specifically relating to international terrorism toward the later stages of conflict, and the accusations of atrocities perpetrated by state militaries in the area against Muslims based on their Islamic faith. These issues were continuously mentioned, but also especially emphasized throughout the entire conflict.

Conflict Resolution Issues: IS made few remarks regarding conflict resolution issues, and the resolution of conflict does not seem to have been a high priority for the group. Throughout the conflict, they stated its support of Islamism, its opposition to peace agreements, and a call for compensation of Muslim civilians who had been targeted by government violence on singular instances. These were the only stated conflict resolution issues interpreted by the IS.

Type of conflict issues: Conflict Goal Issues: Basic needs, Blasphemy, Change economic system, Change judicial system, Change of administrative divisions, Civil rights, Corruption, CPS: Islamic state, Destruction of cultural heritage, Economic reforms, Education system: culture, Education system: increase religion, Gender rights, Labor rights, Law and order, Oust full executive, Protection of cultural heritage, Public services, Reform executive structure, Religious rights, Restriction of gender rights, Restrictions on civil rights, Restrictions on religious rights, Restructure military forces, Restructure police forces, Revenues from natural resources, Rule of law, Security sector power-sharing, State structures, Unification of states, Water resources

Conflict Dynamics Issues: Atrocities and abuses, Call for collective targeting: other group, Call for collective targeting: political, Call for collective targeting: religious, Collective targeting: ethnic, Collective targeting: religious, DFI: Removal of foreign influence, DFI: Withdrawal of military intervention/foreign forces, IFI: Financial support, IFI: Support from diasporas/foreign fighters, Release of prisoners, Revenge/vengeance

Conflict Resolution Issues: Compensation/restoration, Islamism, Opposition to peace agreement