Isis Declares ‘Caliphate’, Expands Plans for Holy War
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 today.
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 the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (Isis), also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, has renamed itself “Islamic State” and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as “Caliph” - the head of the state, the statement said.