ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) - Research Paper Example

In the year 2006, the group further joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahedeen Shura Council. The rise of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, lead to the emergence of an Islamic state, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). After the taking over of the leadership of the group by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group expanded much more where it further entered in Syria through participation in the civil war that was going on in the country. In this instance, the group formed itself in the areas dominated by the Sunnis of Syria through the governance of Ar-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo.

After gaining control of Syria, the group, in this case, changed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in April 2013. The action followed after the announcement by al-Baghdadi of the merger with al-Nusra Front group from Syria. The group maintained their close cooperation with the al-Qaeda until February 2014 when they broke ranks with each other due wrangling issues related to power (Mastors, 75). According the information obtained from the Iraqis and the spokesmen from the United States, the Islamic State of Iraq, and the Levant supported themselves.

They supported themselves through raising of the money got from the kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis who paid to them a given ransom for their release. Apart from kidnapping of the wealthy citizens for ransom payments, the rebel group also used such activities like car theft, hijacking fuel trucks, and counterfeiting. Other sources of finance came from the raised supplies by commandeering rations and shaking down Iraqi soldiers for ammunition. The last cases involved the most lucratively stole oil in the region of Bayji for the black market to raise money for supporting their activities (Quṭb, 56).

Besides kidnappings and corruption means of sourcing for finance, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant also got financial assistance from jihadists in