Capture of Mosul from Islamic State

Why in news?

The capture of the Grand al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul by Iraqi forces, from where Islamic State (IS) proclaimed the caliphate nearly three years ago, marks the end of the ‘caliphate’ in Iraq.

Where did IS come from?

• It started out as the Jamaat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, established by the Jordanian Al-Zarqawi in 1999.
• In 2004, al-Zarqawi took an oath of loyalty to Osama bin Laden, and his organisation became the al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
• Al-Zarqawi was killed in 2006, but AQI continued to hold significant territory in Iraq.
• It began to call itself ‘Islamic State in Iraq’ and, after taking parts of Syria in 2013, the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham’, or ISIS.
• Since al-Sham, the area around the eastern Mediterranean Sea (including Syria) is translated in English as “the Levant”, ISIS became ‘Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’, or ISIL.
• ISIL gained prominence in early 2014 when it drove Iraqi government forces out of key cities, followed by its capture of Mosul.
• In June 2014 it announced the formation of the global Islamic “Caliphate”.
• ISIS/ISIL thus dropped the geographical connotations to its name, and became just the ‘Islamic State’, or IS.

What is their ideology?

• ISIL is a theocracy, proto-state and a Salafi or Wahhabi group.
• It follows an extremist interpretation of Islam, promotes religious violence, and regards Muslims who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates.
• It represents the restoration of the caliphate of early Islam, with all the political, religious and eschatological ramifications that this would imply.
• A caliphate is an area containing an Islamic Leader known as a ‘Caliph’ a person considered a religious successor to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and a leader of the entire Muslim community.
• When the caliphate was proclaimed, all who do not believe in the group's interpretation of the Quran will be killed.

What is their source of revenue?

• Proceeds from the occupation of territory - including control of banks, oil and gas reservoirs, taxation, extortion, and robbery.
• Kidnapping for ransom.
• Donations from Saudi Arabia and Gulf states, often disguised as meant for humanitarian charity.
• Material support provided by foreign fighters.
• Fundraising through modern communication networks.

Why were they successful?

• Unlike al Qaeda, ISIS has proven to be more brutal and more effective at controlling territory it has seized.
• In spite of their medieval ideology, they run a modern and an effective administration.
• ISIL is headed and run by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Advising him is a cabinet of senior leaders, while its operations in Iraq and Syria are controlled by local governors.
• Beneath the leaders are councils on finance, leadership, military matters, legal matters – including decisions on executions.
• From the cabinet and the governors to the financial and legislative bodies, ISIS' bureaucratic hierarchy looks a lot like those of some of the Western countries.

What are some of the importants events?

• 2004: Abu Musab al Zarqawi establishes al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
• April 2010: Abu Bakr al Baghdadi becomes the leader of ISI.
• July 2012 - July 2013: ISI launches its “Breaking the Walls” campaign. It carries out 24 bombings and eight prison breaks, freeing jihadists who had participated in AQI attacks.
• March 2013: Raqqa falls to the Syrian opposition, and the IS started operating in Raqqa.
• December 2013: ISIS militants in Iraq take control of Fallujah and parts of Ramadi.
• June 10: ISIS takes over Mosul, launching its largest offensive to date.
• May 2015: ISIS take overs Ramadi, Iraq and seizes the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
• June 2017: Iraqi government troops captured the ruined mosque at the heart of the IS’s de facto capital Mosul, and the Iraq PM has declared the end of caliphate.

What is the significance of Mosul recapture?

• Iraqi PM has managed to stitch together a difficult alliance to fight the jihadists.
• Despite conflicting interests the joint front they (between Iraq, Iran & US) forged against the IS could be a replicable model elsewhere, especially in Syria where the IS still controls territories.

Source: The Hindu