The South African Civil Society Information Service

Inside the Islamic State: Who They Are, What They're Doing and Why

2 Sep 2014

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 its intention to reestablish “the caliphate” (an Islamic state)  and has declared its leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph. 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.

© Vice News

Editor's Note: You might also be interested in this excellent analysis on the Democracy Now! website: "Blowback: Vijay Prashad on How Islamic State Grew Out of U.S Invasion of Iraq, Destruction of Nation".

Read more articles filed under Videos.

Read more articles tagged with: Islamic State, Iraq, Syria, Libya.

You can find this page online at http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/2121.