ISIS, Al Qaeda splinter group declares Islamic 'Caliphate'

(Reuters) - An offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "Caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on jihadist websites said on Sunday.

The move is an expansion of the group's ambitions to wage a holy war and posed a direct challenge to the central leadership of al Qaeda, which has already disowned it.

The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as "Caliph" - the head of the state, the statement said.

"He is the imam and khalifah (Caliph) for the Muslims everywhere," the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in the statement, which was translated into several languages and an Arabic audio speech.

"Accordingly, the "Iraq and Sham" (Levant) in the name of the Islamic State is henceforth removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name is the Islamic State from the date of this declaration," he said.

Date: 
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Which are the main intervening actor?: 
ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL))
Areas of implications (Geographical): 
Regional (Middle East), Lebanon
Are there any population groups implicated in Lebanon?: 
General implications
Possible implications on Security situation in Lebanon: 
Possible armed mobilizations for ISIS sympathizers in Lebanon
Assessment of event: Positive Impacts/negative Impacts (Based on the project team’s assessment): 
The events in Iraq have been assessed as having negative impacts on the general regional and National situation.