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Military of the Islamic State

April 13, 2024

The Military of the Islamic State is the fighting force of the Islamic State (IS). The total force size at its peak was estimated from tens of thousands to over two hundred thousand. IS's armed forces grew quickly during its territorial expansion in 2014. The IS military, including groups incorporated into it in 2014, openly operates and controls territory in multiple cities in Libya and Nigeria.[31][32] In October 2016, it conquered the city of Qandala in Puntland, Somalia.[33] It conquered much of eastern Syria and western Iraq in 2014, territory it lost finally only in 2019. It also has had border clashes with and made incursions into Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan. IS-linked groups operate in Algeria, Pakistan,[34] the Philippines,[35][36] and in West Africa (Cameroon, Niger, and Chad).[31] In January 2015, IS was also confirmed to have a military presence in Afghanistan[37] and in Yemen.[17]

Military of the Islamic State
Active1999–2014 (as an insurgent force under various names)
2014–present (officially as part of the Islamic State)
CountryMain:
 Afghanistan
 Democratic Republic of Congo
 Egypt
 Iraq
 Libya
 Mozambique
 Nigeria
 Pakistan
 Somalia
 Syria
 Yemen

In the Levant
5,000–10,000[1] (UN Security Council 2019 report)
70,000[2] (Russian military estimate in 2014)
100,000[3] (IS claim in 2015)
5,000–15,000 (Defense Department estimate)[4]
2,000–5,000 (State Department estimate)[5]

Outside the Levant

HeadquartersRaqqa, Syria (2013–2017)
EngagementsWar in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Iraq conflict
Syrian Civil War
Boko Haram insurgency
Second Libyan Civil War
Sinai insurgency
Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)
Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
Somali Civil War (2009–present)
Moro conflict
Gaza–Israel conflict
For more details, see List of wars and battles involving ISIL
Commanders
Current
commander		 Abu Suleiman al-Naser †
(Current Head of Military Council)[29]
Insignia
Black Standard (variant)

The Islamic State's military is based on light infantry mobile units using vehicles such as gun-equipped pick-up trucks (technicals), motorbikes and buses for fast advances. They have also used artillery, tanks and armored vehicles, much of which they captured from the Iraqi and Syrian Armies.

IS has a long history of using truck and car bombs, suicide bombers, and improvised explosive devices. They have also deployed chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria.

Command structure edit

See also: List of Islamic State members
 
An IS command and control center in Raqqa in 2014.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, IS's 2013 annual report reveals a metrics-driven military command, which is "a strong indication of a unified, coherent leadership structure that commands from the top down".[38] Middle East Forum's Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi said, "They are highly skilled in urban guerrilla warfare while the new Iraqi Army simply lacks tactical competence."[39]

IS's Military Council is made up of numerous former military officers from the Saddam Hussein era. Commanders have included Haji Bakr, a colonel; Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, a captain; and Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, a lieutenant colonel, who all graduated from the same Iraqi military academy.[40] Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, al-Baghdadi's former deputy, was a Directorate of General Military Intelligence lieutenant colonel. All these men spent time detained in Camp Bucca during the American occupation of Iraq[40][41] Abu Omar al-Shishani, who was a sergeant in the Georgian Army before leading an IS unit in Syria, also became a prominent commander.[42]

IS's fighters are reportedly organised into seven branches: infantry, snipers, air defence, special forces, artillery forces, the "army of adversity", and the Caliphate Army. This force structure is largely replicated in each of its designated provinces, with the most skilled fighters and military strategists in each area serving in the special forces unit, which is not allowed to redeploy to other provinces. Parallel to this structure is the Caliphate Army, which is directed by IS's central command rather than its provincial leadership. Made up overwhelmingly of foreign fighters, it is deployed to assist in battles across the Islamic State.[43] There is also an all-female Al-Khansaa Brigade tasked with enforcing religious laws.[44] According to battle reports, IS often operates in small mobile fighting units.

The Islamic State also operates outside areas it largely controls using a clandestine cell system. An IS-linked senior militant commander in Sinai told Reuters; "They [IS] teach us how to carry out operations. We communicate through the internet, ... they teach us how to create secret cells, consisting of five people. Only one person has contact with other cells. They are teaching us how to attack security forces, the element of surprise. They told us to plant bombs then wait 12 hours so that the man planting the device has enough time to escape from the town he is in."[45]

Tactics edit

Further information: Armoured warfare of the Islamic State
 
IS tank in Raqqa in 2014.

The military of IS is organized as a mixture of an irregular insurgent force and a conventional army. In its Syrian and Iraqi territory, the Islamic State organized professional units for specialised tasks, with the "Tank Battalion", the "Artillery Battalion", and the "Platoons of Special Tasks" being among the most important. The first one employed heavy armoured fighting vehicles, the second heavy artillery, while the last one was used as a rapid intervention force. The three regularly worked in tandem for breakthrough and important defense operations, made possible by a well-organised logistics system that kept operating even under regular bombardments by anti-IS forces.[46]

In contrast to these elite forces, most of IS' troops were local militias with few heavy weapons, usually deployed as territorial defense units.[46] Less trained or less valuable troops were sometimes involved with offensive operations, although their tactics were less sophisticated. The Islamic State stood in sharp contrast to some other jihadist organizations such as the Caucasus Emirate which generally attempted to minimize their own casualties, and became notorious for its willingness to sacrifice many of its fighters. This is especially true in regard to IS's callous use of new recruits. Islamic State military training had a reputation for its strong focus on indoctrination, often to the detriment of more pertinent lessons.[47] The organization's high command used inexperienced recruits for swarming and human wave tactics, often resulting in extremely high casualties.[47][48] One high-ranking IS commander known for this approach was Abu Omar al-Shishani, who successfully employed swarming tactics during the Siege of Menagh Air Base and Battle of Tabqa Airbase. According to his reasoning, the enemy would eventually be overwhelmed or run out of ammunition regardless of the casualties among IS fighters. Regional expert Joanna Paraszuk sarcastically remarked that al-Shishani's tactics were based on the belief that "everyone want[s] to be a Shahid" (martyr),[48] although not all Islamic State commanders showed such a readiness to sacrifice troops.[47]

Following the Siege of Kobanî, which resulted in large losses among its veterans and commanders (including 2,000 militants killed), IS was forced to promote several inexperienced commanders and to rely even more than before on new recruits. As result, the tactics of the Islamic State's military became cruder. Paraszuk noted that the jihadists' strategies and tactics sometimes broke down completely due to this. For example, some troops were essentially ordered to "just run towards the [enemy] and fight or whatever" during the 2015 Battle of Hasakah, even though they were targeted by massive aerial bombardments and their attacks had no apparent strategic value.[47]

Technicals play an important role for IS in a variety of combat purposes, ranging from quick-reaction forces, to tank equivalents, to self-defendable car bombs that can attack heavily defended targets.[49]

In addition to suicide bomber attacks, IS also employs the use of special units called Inghimasi (Arabic for "become immersed"), who utilise both conventional firearms and suicide bombs, attacking enemy positions with their firearms, and then detonating their suicide bombs when they run out of ammunition or believe they are trapped. Their goal is specifically to inflict as many casualties as they can upon the enemy before dying, acting as a form of shock troops. Inghimasi are also deployed against civilians, such as in the November 2015 Paris attacks. Inghimasi may sometimes be deployed en masse but are usually deployed in small teams.[50]

Troops edit

Troops in Iraq and Syria edit

See also: Syrian Civil War and War in Iraq (2013–2017)

In June 2014, the Islamic State had at least 4,000 fighters in Iraq.[51] By September 2014, the CIA estimated that the group had grown to 20,000–31,500 fighters in Iraq and Syria,[52] while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) put its estimate at around 80,000–100,000 total (up to 50,000 in Syria and 30,000 in Iraq) by August 2014.[53] An Iraqi Kurdish leader even estimated in November 2014 that the Islamic State's military had 200,000 fighters.[54] The group's rapid growth was partially facilitated by IS forcing other rebel groups to fight for it, as well as conscripting individuals. In general, a large part of IS's Iraqi and Syrian armies consisted of local militias whose loyalty was generally somewhat dubious. These local forces were put under commanders from IS's core group, and only those groups who proved themselves trustworthy were provided with better weaponry.[55] In 2015, Reuters quoted "jihadist ideologues" as claiming that IS has 40,000 fighters and 60,000 supporters.[3] As a result of suffering major defeats from 2017 to 2019, the strength of IS was greatly reduced in the Middle East. By 2021, the group was estimated to field about 10,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq, although it still possessed a far greater network of supporters and sympathizers which could potentially enable it to rapidly swell its ranks in the future.[56]

Ethnically, the Islamic State's military is dominated by Sunni Arabs. However, the group also recruited Kurds in Iraq and Syria.[57][58] However, IS became increasingly anti-Kurdish over time, and even began to use anti-Kurdish racism as recruiting tool.[59]

Foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria edit

See also: Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars

There are many foreign fighters in IS's ranks. In June 2014, The Economist reported that IS "may have up to 6,000 fighters in Iraq and 3,000–5,000 in Syria, including perhaps 3,000 foreigners; nearly a thousand are reported to hail from Chechnya and perhaps 500 or so more from France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe."[60] Chechen leader Abu Omar al-Shishani, for example, was made commander of the northern sector of IS in Syria in 2013.[61][62] According to The New York Times, in September 2014 there were more than 2,000 Europeans and 100 Americans among IS's foreign fighters.[63] As of mid-September 2014, around 1,000 Turks had joined IS,[64] and as of October 2014, 2,400–3,000 Tunisians had joined the group.[65] An IS deserter alleged that foreign recruits were treated with less respect than Arabic-speaking Muslims by IS commanders and were placed in suicide units if they lacked otherwise useful skills.[66] According to a UN report, an estimated 15,000 fighters from nearly 70 countries have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join militant groups, including IS.[67]

Reuters has stated that according to jihadist ideologues, 10 percent of IS's fighters in Iraq and 30 percent of its fighters in Syria are from outside those countries.[3]

As of September 29, 2015, the CIA estimated that 30,000 foreign fighters had come to join IS.[68] As of October 2015, 21% came from Europe, 50% from Western Asia or North Africa, and 29% from elsewhere; according to the Global Terrorism Index and other sources, they were of the following nationalities:[69]

List of nationalities of foreign fighters in IS edit

This is a list of nationalities of foreign fighters who joined IS from June 2014 to June 2018. This list does not include citizens of Syria, or Iraq. This list includes women and children who joined IS, some of whom may have been noncombatants. In total, 41,490 non-Iraqis and non-Syrians joined IS's main branch in these countries (32,089 were adult men), of whom 7,366 (5,930 were adult men) returned to their countries of departure, sometimes to face charges; most of the rest are presumed dead.[70]

Allegiance to IS from groups outside Iraq and Syria edit

Child soldiers edit

Main article: Cubs of the Caliphate

IS is reported to employ child soldiers, known as "Cubs of the Caliphate", for both combat and propaganda purposes.[93][94][95]

Weapons edit

See also: List of military equipment of Islamic State

Conventional weapons edit

Further information: Armoured warfare of the Islamic State
 
An IS tank during the Palmyra offensive (2017).

The most common weapons used against US and other Coalition forces during the Iraq insurgency were those taken from Saddam Hussein's weapon stockpiles around the country. These included AKM variant assault rifles, PK machine guns and RPG-7s.[96] IS has been able to strengthen its military capability by capturing large quantities and varieties of weaponry during the Syrian Civil War and the post-withdrawal Iraqi insurgency. These weapons seizures have improved the group's capacity to carry out successful subsequent operations and obtain more equipment.[97] Weaponry that IS has reportedly captured and employed include SA-7[98] and Stinger[99] surface-to-air missiles, M79 Osa, HJ-8[100] and AT-4 Spigot[98] anti-tank weapons, Type 59 field guns[100] and M198 howitzers,[101] Humvees, T-54/55, T-72, and M1 Abrams[102] main battle tanks,[100] M1117 armoured cars,[103] truck-mounted DShK guns,[98] ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns,[104] BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers,[97] and at least one Scud missile.[105]

IS shot down an Iraqi helicopter in October 2014, and claims to have shot down "several other" helicopters in 2014. Observers fear that they have "advanced surface-to-air missile systems" such as the Chinese-made FN-6, which are thought to have been provided to Syrian rebels by Qatar and/or Saudi Arabia, and purchased or captured by IS.[106]

Aircraft edit

IS also captured many inoperable fighter aircraft after capturing the Syrian airbase of Al-Tabqa. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in October 2014 that former Iraqi pilots were training IS militants to fly captured Syrian jets. Witnesses reported that MiG-21 and MiG-23 jets were flying over al-Jarrah military airport, but the US Central Command said it was not aware of flights by IS-operated aircraft in Syria or elsewhere.[107] On 21 October, the Syrian Air Force claimed that it had shot down two of these aircraft over al-Jarrah air base while they were landing.[108]

Non-conventional edit

 
An IS car bomb in action during the Siege of Menagh Air Base.

IS has a long history of using truck and car bombs, suicide bombers, and improvised explosive devices.[109] It has become especially adept at the construction and use of truck and car bombs, most notably quite sophisticated models which were fitted with armour, machine guns,[49] and/or firing ports.[110] These are mixtures of car bombs and technicals ("suicide bomber technical")[111] that can approach heavily defended targets, suppressing the enemy while being protected from small-arms fire.[112] Sometimes, IS even used armoured personnel carriers as chassis for car bombs, or fitted them with unguided rockets to clear the path to the intended target.[111]

IS captured nuclear materials from the University of Mosul in July 2014. In a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Iraq's UN Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim said that the materials had been kept at the university and "can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction". Nuclear experts regarded the threat as insignificant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the seized materials were "low grade and would not present a significant safety, security or nuclear proliferation risk".[113][114]

Chemical weapons edit

Reports suggested that IS captured Saddam-era chemical weapons from an Iraqi military base,[115] and the group also forcibly enlisted the aid of scientists living in its territories to produce their own chemical weapons. IS managed to produce its own mustard gas, and employed it on battlefields in Iraq and Syria. According to one scientist involved in the project, the main value of the mustard gas to IS was not its impact on actual combat, but its effect in psychological warfare. The production of chemical weapons slowed greatly from early 2016, however, as the United States and the Iraqi government targeted production facilities and killed or captured the leaders of the programme. Regardless, it is generally believed that IS remains in possession of hidden data and equipment to restart the production of chemical weapons in the future.[116]

IS deployed mustard gas[116] and chlorine gas against forces of the Iraqi government, the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition,[117] as well as unidentified chemical weapons against the Syrian Democratic Forces.[109] According to the US military, IS used the chemical weapons effectively on a tactical level, but never managed to employ them in a way that impacted the larger strategic situation. The group produced not enough chemical weapons, being hampered not just by airstrikes and raids, but also lack of skilled personnel and equipment.[116]

See also edit

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  113. ^ Cowell, Alan (10 July 2014). "Low-Grade Nuclear Material Is Seized by Rebels in Iraq, U.N. Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
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  116. ^ a b c Joby Warrick (21 January 2019). "Exclusive: Iraqi scientist says he helped ISIS make chemical weapons". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  117. ^ Al Jazeera and agencies. "Iraqis say ISIL used chlorine gas in attacks". Retrieved 6 November 2014.

Works cited edit

Further reading edit

April 13, 2024
military, islamic, state, fighting, force, islamic, state, total, force, size, peak, estimated, from, tens, thousands, over, hundred, thousand, armed, forces, grew, quickly, during, territorial, expansion, 2014, military, including, groups, incorporated, into,. The Military of the Islamic State is the fighting force of the Islamic State IS The total force size at its peak was estimated from tens of thousands to over two hundred thousand IS s armed forces grew quickly during its territorial expansion in 2014 The IS military including groups incorporated into it in 2014 openly operates and controls territory in multiple cities in Libya and Nigeria 31 32 In October 2016 it conquered the city of Qandala in Puntland Somalia 33 It conquered much of eastern Syria and western Iraq in 2014 territory it lost finally only in 2019 It also has had border clashes with and made incursions into Lebanon Iran and Jordan IS linked groups operate in Algeria Pakistan 34 the Philippines 35 36 and in West Africa Cameroon Niger and Chad 31 In January 2015 IS was also confirmed to have a military presence in Afghanistan 37 and in Yemen 17 Military of the Islamic StateActive1999 2014 as an insurgent force under various names 2014 present officially as part of the Islamic State CountryMain Afghanistan Democratic Republic of Congo Egypt Iraq Libya Mozambique Nigeria Pakistan Somalia Syria YemenIn the Levant 5 000 10 000 1 UN Security Council 2019 report 70 000 2 Russian military estimate in 2014 100 000 3 IS claim in 2015 5 000 15 000 Defense Department estimate 4 2 000 5 000 State Department estimate 5 Outside the Levant West Africa 7 000 10 000 Feb 2015 estimate of Boko Haram fighters 6 Libya estimates vary 5 000 6 500 Feb 2016 New York Times citing Pentagon officials 7 about 5 000 Feb 2016 al Jazeera citing security analyst 8 up to 6 500 Feb 2016 CNN citing several U S intelligence officials 9 Jordan several thousand members of Salafi jihadist groups that have pledged allegiance to ISIL Jordan Times 2014 10 Several Jordanian jihadist ideologues have endorsed ISIL 11 ISIL sleeper cells exist in the country about 20 killed by Jordanian security forces and many more arrested from 2014 to April 2016 12 2 000 Jordanians became IS foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria 13 14 Turkey nearly 1 000 arrested by Turkish security forces in 2015 15 Egypt 1 000 1 500 members of ISIL s Sinai Province primarily in North Sinai Governorate where Sinai insurgency is ongoing May 2016 Wilson Center estimate 16 Yemen dozens Jan 2015 CNN citing Yemeni official 17 about 300 June 2015 Aimen Dean estimate to Reuters 18 By March 2016 ISIL numbers in Yemen were falling 19 Afghanistan and Pakistan ISIL s Khorasan Province 300 Jan 2015 ISIL commander claim cited by New York Times 20 2 000 including 500 in allied Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan group Sept 2015 estimate by spokesman for Abdul Rashid Dostum reported by AP 21 Somalia 200 300 22 Algeria unknown 23 24 Saudi Arabia unknown presence in central Saudi Arabia Saudi authorities have arrested more than 1 600 suspected ISIL supporters Wilson Center 2016 25 Russia unknown North Caucasus region Dagestan Chechnya Ingushetia and Kabardino Balkaria In June 2015 ISIL accepted the pledge of allegiance of the formerly al Qaeda affiliated Caucasus Emirate which became ISIL s Caucasus Province Wilson Center 2016 25 Jammu and Kashmir India about 30 youth from area thought to have become ISIL foreign fighters Oct 2014 Times of India citing security agencies 26 Europe unknown presence of sleeper cells and lone wolf operatives and ISIL is thought to have attempted to smuggle militants to Europe 27 28 HeadquartersRaqqa Syria 2013 2017 EngagementsWar in Afghanistan 2001 present Iraq conflictSyrian Civil WarBoko Haram insurgencySecond Libyan Civil WarSinai insurgencyYemeni Civil War 2015 present Insurgency in Khyber PakhtunkhwaInsurgency in Jammu and KashmirSomali Civil War 2009 present Moro conflictGaza Israel conflictFor more details see List of wars and battles involving ISILCommandersCurrentcommanderAbu Suleiman al Naser Current Head of Military Council 29 Abu Jandal al Kuwaiti second in command in Syria late 2016 Abu Omar al Shishani leading field commander Abu Waheeb Commander in Anbar Iraq Muhammand Abdullah Commander in Libya Shadi el Manaei Commander in Sinai Hafiz Saeed Khan Emir in Afghanistan and Pakistan 30 Abu Muhammad al Kadari Commander in North Caucasus InsigniaBlack Standard variant The Islamic State s military is based on light infantry mobile units using vehicles such as gun equipped pick up trucks technicals motorbikes and buses for fast advances They have also used artillery tanks and armored vehicles much of which they captured from the Iraqi and Syrian Armies IS has a long history of using truck and car bombs suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices They have also deployed chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria Contents 1 Command structure 2 Tactics 3 Troops 3 1 Troops in Iraq and Syria 3 2 Foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria 3 3 List of nationalities of foreign fighters in IS 3 4 Allegiance to IS from groups outside Iraq and Syria 3 5 Child soldiers 4 Weapons 4 1 Conventional weapons 4 2 Aircraft 4 3 Non conventional 4 3 1 Chemical weapons 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Works cited 7 Further readingCommand structure editSee also List of Islamic State members nbsp An IS command and control center in Raqqa in 2014 According to the Institute for the Study of War IS s 2013 annual report reveals a metrics driven military command which is a strong indication of a unified coherent leadership structure that commands from the top down 38 Middle East Forum s Aymenn Jawad Al Tamimi said They are highly skilled in urban guerrilla warfare while the new Iraqi Army simply lacks tactical competence 39 IS s Military Council is made up of numerous former military officers from the Saddam Hussein era Commanders have included Haji Bakr a colonel Abu Abdulrahman al Bilawi a captain and Abu Ayman al Iraqi a lieutenant colonel who all graduated from the same Iraqi military academy 40 Abu Muslim al Turkmani al Baghdadi s former deputy was a Directorate of General Military Intelligence lieutenant colonel All these men spent time detained in Camp Bucca during the American occupation of Iraq 40 41 Abu Omar al Shishani who was a sergeant in the Georgian Army before leading an IS unit in Syria also became a prominent commander 42 IS s fighters are reportedly organised into seven branches infantry snipers air defence special forces artillery forces the army of adversity and the Caliphate Army This force structure is largely replicated in each of its designated provinces with the most skilled fighters and military strategists in each area serving in the special forces unit which is not allowed to redeploy to other provinces Parallel to this structure is the Caliphate Army which is directed by IS s central command rather than its provincial leadership Made up overwhelmingly of foreign fighters it is deployed to assist in battles across the Islamic State 43 There is also an all female Al Khansaa Brigade tasked with enforcing religious laws 44 According to battle reports IS often operates in small mobile fighting units The Islamic State also operates outside areas it largely controls using a clandestine cell system An IS linked senior militant commander in Sinai told Reuters They IS teach us how to carry out operations We communicate through the internet they teach us how to create secret cells consisting of five people Only one person has contact with other cells They are teaching us how to attack security forces the element of surprise They told us to plant bombs then wait 12 hours so that the man planting the device has enough time to escape from the town he is in 45 Tactics editFurther information Armoured warfare of the Islamic State nbsp IS tank in Raqqa in 2014 The military of IS is organized as a mixture of an irregular insurgent force and a conventional army In its Syrian and Iraqi territory the Islamic State organized professional units for specialised tasks with the Tank Battalion the Artillery Battalion and the Platoons of Special Tasks being among the most important The first one employed heavy armoured fighting vehicles the second heavy artillery while the last one was used as a rapid intervention force The three regularly worked in tandem for breakthrough and important defense operations made possible by a well organised logistics system that kept operating even under regular bombardments by anti IS forces 46 In contrast to these elite forces most of IS troops were local militias with few heavy weapons usually deployed as territorial defense units 46 Less trained or less valuable troops were sometimes involved with offensive operations although their tactics were less sophisticated The Islamic State stood in sharp contrast to some other jihadist organizations such as the Caucasus Emirate which generally attempted to minimize their own casualties and became notorious for its willingness to sacrifice many of its fighters This is especially true in regard to IS s callous use of new recruits Islamic State military training had a reputation for its strong focus on indoctrination often to the detriment of more pertinent lessons 47 The organization s high command used inexperienced recruits for swarming and human wave tactics often resulting in extremely high casualties 47 48 One high ranking IS commander known for this approach was Abu Omar al Shishani who successfully employed swarming tactics during the Siege of Menagh Air Base and Battle of Tabqa Airbase According to his reasoning the enemy would eventually be overwhelmed or run out of ammunition regardless of the casualties among IS fighters Regional expert Joanna Paraszuk sarcastically remarked that al Shishani s tactics were based on the belief that everyone want s to be a Shahid martyr 48 although not all Islamic State commanders showed such a readiness to sacrifice troops 47 Following the Siege of Kobani which resulted in large losses among its veterans and commanders including 2 000 militants killed IS was forced to promote several inexperienced commanders and to rely even more than before on new recruits As result the tactics of the Islamic State s military became cruder Paraszuk noted that the jihadists strategies and tactics sometimes broke down completely due to this For example some troops were essentially ordered to just run towards the enemy and fight or whatever during the 2015 Battle of Hasakah even though they were targeted by massive aerial bombardments and their attacks had no apparent strategic value 47 Technicals play an important role for IS in a variety of combat purposes ranging from quick reaction forces to tank equivalents to self defendable car bombs that can attack heavily defended targets 49 In addition to suicide bomber attacks IS also employs the use of special units called Inghimasi Arabic for become immersed who utilise both conventional firearms and suicide bombs attacking enemy positions with their firearms and then detonating their suicide bombs when they run out of ammunition or believe they are trapped Their goal is specifically to inflict as many casualties as they can upon the enemy before dying acting as a form of shock troops Inghimasi are also deployed against civilians such as in the November 2015 Paris attacks Inghimasi may sometimes be deployed en masse but are usually deployed in small teams 50 Troops editTroops in Iraq and Syria edit See also Syrian Civil War and War in Iraq 2013 2017 In June 2014 the Islamic State had at least 4 000 fighters in Iraq 51 By September 2014 the CIA estimated that the group had grown to 20 000 31 500 fighters in Iraq and Syria 52 while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR put its estimate at around 80 000 100 000 total up to 50 000 in Syria and 30 000 in Iraq by August 2014 53 An Iraqi Kurdish leader even estimated in November 2014 that the Islamic State s military had 200 000 fighters 54 The group s rapid growth was partially facilitated by IS forcing other rebel groups to fight for it as well as conscripting individuals In general a large part of IS s Iraqi and Syrian armies consisted of local militias whose loyalty was generally somewhat dubious These local forces were put under commanders from IS s core group and only those groups who proved themselves trustworthy were provided with better weaponry 55 In 2015 Reuters quoted jihadist ideologues as claiming that IS has 40 000 fighters and 60 000 supporters 3 As a result of suffering major defeats from 2017 to 2019 the strength of IS was greatly reduced in the Middle East By 2021 the group was estimated to field about 10 000 fighters in Syria and Iraq although it still possessed a far greater network of supporters and sympathizers which could potentially enable it to rapidly swell its ranks in the future 56 Ethnically the Islamic State s military is dominated by Sunni Arabs However the group also recruited Kurds in Iraq and Syria 57 58 However IS became increasingly anti Kurdish over time and even began to use anti Kurdish racism as recruiting tool 59 Foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria edit See also Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars There are many foreign fighters in IS s ranks In June 2014 The Economist reported that IS may have up to 6 000 fighters in Iraq and 3 000 5 000 in Syria including perhaps 3 000 foreigners nearly a thousand are reported to hail from Chechnya and perhaps 500 or so more from France Britain and elsewhere in Europe 60 Chechen leader Abu Omar al Shishani for example was made commander of the northern sector of IS in Syria in 2013 61 62 According to The New York Times in September 2014 there were more than 2 000 Europeans and 100 Americans among IS s foreign fighters 63 As of mid September 2014 around 1 000 Turks had joined IS 64 and as of October 2014 2 400 3 000 Tunisians had joined the group 65 An IS deserter alleged that foreign recruits were treated with less respect than Arabic speaking Muslims by IS commanders and were placed in suicide units if they lacked otherwise useful skills 66 According to a UN report an estimated 15 000 fighters from nearly 70 countries have travelled to Iraq and Syria to join militant groups including IS 67 Reuters has stated that according to jihadist ideologues 10 percent of IS s fighters in Iraq and 30 percent of its fighters in Syria are from outside those countries 3 As of September 29 2015 the CIA estimated that 30 000 foreign fighters had come to join IS 68 As of October 2015 21 came from Europe 50 from Western Asia or North Africa and 29 from elsewhere according to the Global Terrorism Index and other sources they were of the following nationalities 69 List of nationalities of foreign fighters in IS edit This is a list of nationalities of foreign fighters who joined IS from June 2014 to June 2018 This list does not include citizens of Syria or Iraq This list includes women and children who joined IS some of whom may have been noncombatants In total 41 490 non Iraqis and non Syrians joined IS s main branch in these countries 32 089 were adult men of whom 7 366 5 930 were adult men returned to their countries of departure sometimes to face charges most of the rest are presumed dead 70 nbsp Russia 5 000 380 returnees nbsp Tunisia 4 000 900 returnees nbsp Jordan 3 950 250 returnees nbsp Saudi Arabia 3 244 760 returnees nbsp Turkey 3 000 900 returnees nbsp Uzbekistan 2 500 nbsp France 1 910 398 returnees nbsp Morocco 1 699 236 returnees nbsp Tajikistan 1 502 147 returnees nbsp China 1 000 nbsp Germany 960 303 returnees nbsp Lebanon 900 nbsp Azerbaijan 900 49 returnees nbsp Kyrgyzstan 863 63 returnees nbsp United Kingdom 850 425 returnees nbsp Indonesia 800 183 returnees nbsp Kazakhstan 600 113 128 returnees nbsp Libya 600 nbsp Egypt 600 nbsp Turkmenistan 500 nbsp Belgium 498 123 returnees nbsp Kosovo 359 133 returnees nbsp Bosnia and Herzegovina 323 56 returnees nbsp Sweden 311 150 returnees nbsp Netherlands 300 60 returnees nbsp Algeria 278 87 nbsp United States 272 40 returnees nbsp Austria 254 94 returnees nbsp Australia 214 40 returnees nbsp Spain 208 30 returnees nbsp Maldives 200 nbsp Georgia 200 17 returnees nbsp North Macedonia 155 72 returnees nbsp Malaysia 154 8 returnees nbsp Kuwait 150 6 returnees nbsp Albania 144 44 returnees nbsp Denmark 145 72 returnees nbsp South Africa 140 11 returnees nbsp Sudan 140 2 returnees nbsp Trinidad and Tobago 130 nbsp Italy 129 11 returnees nbsp Finland 122 43 returnees nbsp Afghanistan 120 nbsp Yemen 110 nbsp Philippines 100 nbsp Norway 100 40 returnees nbsp Canada 100 17 returnees nbsp Pakistan 100 nbsp Kenya 100 nbsp India 75 11 returnees nbsp Somalia 70 nbsp Switzerland 70 14 returnees nbsp Israel 60 10 returnees nbsp Serbia 59 7 returnees nbsp Iran 50 71 nbsp Bangladesh 40 25 returnees nbsp Sri Lanka 32 nbsp Ireland 30 nbsp New Zealand 11 nbsp Montenegro 27 10 returnees nbsp Argentina 23 nbsp Qatar 15 nbsp United Arab Emirates 15 nbsp Bahrain 100 nbsp Portugal 15 2 returnees nbsp Ghana 10 72 nbsp Bulgaria 10 nbsp Slovenia 10 2 returnees nbsp Slovakia 6 nbsp Japan 9 nbsp Taiwan 8 73 nbsp Poland 40 nbsp Brazil 3 nbsp Brunei 1 3 nbsp Croatia 7 nbsp Singapore 8 nbsp Madagascar 3 nbsp South Korea 1 nbsp Chile 1 74 nbsp Latvia 2 nbsp Ukraine 2 nbsp Estonia 1 75 nbsp Iceland 1 nbsp Romania 1 nbsp Moldova 1 nbsp Luxembourg 1 nbsp Cambodia 1 nbsp Senegal 1 Allegiance to IS from groups outside Iraq and Syria edit Wilayat Algeria formed from the Algerian Jund al Khilafah after it pledged allegiance to IS 76 Wilayat Barqa and others formed from the allegiance of Libyan militants like the Shura Council of Islamic Youth 77 78 and defectors formerly associated with Ansar al Sharia in Libya 79 Wilayat Sinai formed from the majority of the membership of Egypt s Ansar Bait al Maqdis 36 77 80 Wilayat Yemen formed from militants in Yemen including defectors from Ansar al Sharia and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula 17 81 Wilayat Najd and others formed from unidentified militants in Saudi Arabia 76 Wilayat Khorasan formed from the allegiance of militants from groups based in Pakistan and Afghanistan including Jundallah 82 Tehreek e Khilafat 36 the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan 83 and dissident commanders formerly associated with Tehrik i Taliban Pakistan 84 Wilayat Gharb Afriqiya formed from Boko Haram pledging allegiance to IS 31 85 Wilayat al Qawqaz formed from dissident militants of the Caucasus Emirate in Chechnya and Dagestan who switched their allegiance to IS 86 Militants of the group Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade Palestinian Territories pledged allegiance to IS 87 88 Militants of the group Abu Sayyaf under Isnilon Totoni Hapilon and Radullan Sahiron Philippines Malaysia 89 pledged allegiance to IS 36 Militants of the group Sons of the Call for Tawhid and Jihad Jordan pledged allegiance to IS 10 Militants of the group Free Sunnis of Baalbek Brigade Lebanon pledged allegiance to IS 36 The group Islamic State of the Maldives pledged allegiance to IS in July 2014 90 Members of Ansar Khalifah Philippines pledged allegiance to IS And they start using IS props in their training Some Bangladeshi terrorist cells pledged allegiance to IS and starts attacking civilians and bloggers Some members of Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid including leader Abu Bakar Ba asyir and Mujahidin Indonesia Timur pledged allegiance Abnaa ul Calipha was formed by some Al Shabaab dissidents in Puntland led by Abdul Qadir Mumin who pledged allegiance to IS in 2015 Since then Al Shabaab has unsuccessfully attempted to kill these defectors Jabha East Africa an Islamist group operating in Kenya Tanzania Somalia and Uganda defected from Al Qaeda and pledged allegiance to IS In 2016 Abu Walid al Sahraoui and dissidents from Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb pledged allegiance to IS creating the group known as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara The group operates in Mali Niger and Burkina Faso Katibat Salman Al Farisi Salman the Persian Battalion was formed by a group of Iranian IS fighters in Iran to fight the Iranian government The City of Monotheism and Monotheists group operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has pledged allegiance to IS 91 IS claimed their first ever attack in Kashmir Valley that left one police officer dead 92 Afterwards a video surfaced of an IS soldier named Abu al Baraa al Kashmiri pledging allegiance to IS and forming the group Wilayat Kashmir Abu al Baraa is probably the leader of the group In the video Abu al Baraa called on Muslims in the Kashmir Valley to fight the Pakistani and the Indian governments and criticized the Islamic movement of Hizb Lashkar Jaish Tehreek declaring takfir and jihad on it He called on members of other insurgent groups operating in Kashmir such as Ansar Ghazwat ul Hind and its leader Zakir Musa to pledge allegiance to IS accusing the leaders of other insurgent groups of working for Pakistan s Inter Services Intelligence citation needed Child soldiers edit Main article Cubs of the Caliphate IS is reported to employ child soldiers known as Cubs of the Caliphate for both combat and propaganda purposes 93 94 95 Weapons editSee also List of military equipment of Islamic State Conventional weapons edit Further information Armoured warfare of the Islamic State nbsp An IS tank during the Palmyra offensive 2017 The most common weapons used against US and other Coalition forces during the Iraq insurgency were those taken from Saddam Hussein s weapon stockpiles around the country These included AKM variant assault rifles PK machine guns and RPG 7s 96 IS has been able to strengthen its military capability by capturing large quantities and varieties of weaponry during the Syrian Civil War and the post withdrawal Iraqi insurgency These weapons seizures have improved the group s capacity to carry out successful subsequent operations and obtain more equipment 97 Weaponry that IS has reportedly captured and employed include SA 7 98 and Stinger 99 surface to air missiles M79 Osa HJ 8 100 and AT 4 Spigot 98 anti tank weapons Type 59 field guns 100 and M198 howitzers 101 Humvees T 54 55 T 72 and M1 Abrams 102 main battle tanks 100 M1117 armoured cars 103 truck mounted DShK guns 98 ZU 23 2 anti aircraft guns 104 BM 21 Grad multiple rocket launchers 97 and at least one Scud missile 105 IS shot down an Iraqi helicopter in October 2014 and claims to have shot down several other helicopters in 2014 Observers fear that they have advanced surface to air missile systems such as the Chinese made FN 6 which are thought to have been provided to Syrian rebels by Qatar and or Saudi Arabia and purchased or captured by IS 106 Aircraft edit IS also captured many inoperable fighter aircraft after capturing the Syrian airbase of Al Tabqa The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in October 2014 that former Iraqi pilots were training IS militants to fly captured Syrian jets Witnesses reported that MiG 21 and MiG 23 jets were flying over al Jarrah military airport but the US Central Command said it was not aware of flights by IS operated aircraft in Syria or elsewhere 107 On 21 October the Syrian Air Force claimed that it had shot down two of these aircraft over al Jarrah air base while they were landing 108 Non conventional edit nbsp An IS car bomb in action during the Siege of Menagh Air Base IS has a long history of using truck and car bombs suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices 109 It has become especially adept at the construction and use of truck and car bombs most notably quite sophisticated models which were fitted with armour machine guns 49 and or firing ports 110 These are mixtures of car bombs and technicals suicide bomber technical 111 that can approach heavily defended targets suppressing the enemy while being protected from small arms fire 112 Sometimes IS even used armoured personnel carriers as chassis for car bombs or fitted them with unguided rockets to clear the path to the intended target 111 IS captured nuclear materials from the University of Mosul in July 2014 In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki moon Iraq s UN Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim said that the materials had been kept at the university and can be used in manufacturing weapons of mass destruction Nuclear experts regarded the threat as insignificant The International Atomic Energy Agency said that the seized materials were low grade and would not present a significant safety security or nuclear proliferation risk 113 114 Chemical weapons edit Reports suggested that IS captured Saddam era chemical weapons from an Iraqi military base 115 and the group also forcibly enlisted the aid of scientists living in its territories to produce their own chemical weapons IS managed to produce its own mustard gas and employed it on battlefields in Iraq and Syria According to one scientist involved in the project the main value of the mustard gas to IS was not its impact on actual combat but its effect in psychological warfare The production of chemical weapons slowed greatly from early 2016 however as the United States and the Iraqi government targeted production facilities and killed or captured the leaders of the programme Regardless it is generally believed that IS remains in possession of hidden data and equipment to restart the production of chemical weapons in the future 116 IS deployed mustard gas 116 and chlorine gas against forces of the Iraqi government the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition 117 as well as unidentified chemical weapons against the Syrian Democratic Forces 109 According to the US military IS used the chemical weapons effectively on a tactical level but never managed to employ them in a way that impacted the larger strategic situation The group produced not enough chemical weapons being hampered not just by airstrikes and raids but also lack of skilled personnel and equipment 116 See also edit nbsp Asia portalAl QaedaMilitary equipment of IS List of armed groups in the Syrian Civil War Human rights violations during the Syrian Civil WarReferences edit Eighth report of the Secretary General on the threat posed by ISIL Da esh to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat PDF United Nations Security Council UN 1 February 2019 Islamic State formations comprise up to 70 000 gunmen Chief of Russia s General Staff Russian News Agency TASS 10 December 2014 a b c Saddam s former army is secret of Baghdadi s success Reuters 16 June 2015 Retrieved 1 July 2015 Operation Inherent Resolve and other overseas contingency operations PDF media defense gov Retrieved 11 May 2019 Briefing With Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS Ambassador James Jeffrey state gov Retrieved 11 May 2019 Peter Dorrie How Big Is Boko Haram Medium February 2 2015 Obama Is Pressed to Open Military Front Against ISIS in Libya The New York Times 4 February 2016 Retrieved 5 February 2016 ISIL s presence in Libya grows to 5 000 fighters Al Jazeera Jim Sciutto Barbara Starr Kevin Liptak 4 February 2016 More ISIS fighters in Libya fewer in Syria and Iraq CNN a b Local jihadist group pledges allegiance to Islamic State Jordan Times July 23 2014 Archived from the original on July 26 2014 Murad Batal al Shishani Jordan s jihadists drawn to Syria conflict BBC Arabic October 30 2012 Taylor Luck ISIL militants have launched a losing war on Jordan The National April 2 2016 Daniella Peled ISIS in Jordan King Abdullah s Battle for the Soul of Islam Ha aretz November 25 2015 Benjamin T Decker The Islamic State s Biggest Threat to Jordan Isn t Violence It s Economics VICE News May 13 2015 Burak Ege Bekdil Turkey Caught Nearly 1 000 ISIS fighters in 2015 Defense News January 19 2016 Sinai Province Egypt s ISIS Affiliate Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars May 19 2016 a b c ISIS gaining ground in Yemen competing with al Qaeda CNN 21 January 2015 Retrieved 21 January 2015 Sami Aboudi In Yemen chaos Islamic State grows to rival al Qaeda Reuters June 30 2015 Asa Fitch amp Saleh Al Batati ISIS Fails to Gain Much Traction in Yemen Wall Street Journal March 28 2016 Taimoor Shah amp Joseph Goldstein Taliban Fissures in Afghanistan Are Seen as an Opening for ISIS New York Times January 21 2015 Lynne O Donnell Islamic State group loyalists eye a presence in Afghanistan Associated Press September 8 2015 Maruf Haran IS Militants Seize Town in Somalia s Puntland voanews com Voice of America Retrieved 27 October 2016 Algerian Army Kills Militant Leader Linked to Beheading of French Hostage The New York Times 24 December 2014 Algeria s al Qaeda defectors join IS group Reuters September 14 2014 a b ISIS s Growing Caliphate Profiles of Affiliates Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars February 19 2016 ISIS flag in Kashmir valley worries Army Times News Network Oct 2014 Nick Paton Walsh ISIS on Europe s doorstep How terror is infiltrating the migrant route CNN May 26 2016 Alison Smale Terrorism Suspects Are Posing as Refugees Germany Says New York Times February 5 2016 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Turkey The New York Times Kirkpatrick David D 21 October 2014 New Freedoms in Tunisia Drive Support for ISIS New York Times Det jag har bevittnat i al Raqqa kommer alltid forfolja mig Nyheter Varlden in Swedish Dagens Nyheter 23 September 2014 Retrieved 25 September 2014 Revathi Siva Kumar UN Report On 15 000 Foreigners Joining ISIS Fighters In Syria And Iraq Will Shock You International Business Times AU Archived from the original on 10 November 2014 Retrieved 13 February 2015 Sarhan Arme CIA 30 000 foreign fighters have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS Iraq News Sep 29 2016 Global Terrorism Index 2015 Institute For Economics and Peace October 2015 Pages 46 47 Cook and Vale From Daesh to Diaspora International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation King s College London Pages 14 19 ISIS boasts rising number of recruits among Iranian Kurds Rudaw Retrieved 15 April 2015 Ghanaians joining Islamic State highlight potential for religiously motivated gun attacks against busy outdoor entertainment spots in capital Janes 15 October 2015 Archived from the original on 19 October 2015 Retrieved 24 October 2015 8 people in Taiwan have shown interest in joining ISIS NSB FocusTaiwan tw 28 March 2016 Retrieved 9 October 2017 New English ISIS Video Stars Chilean Jihadist Mocks Obama US Soldiers with Diaper Jokes International Business Times India Edition July 1 2014 Retrieved 19 November 2015 Estonians fighting in Syria forcing local Islamic community to become more strict ERR 27 January 2015 Retrieved 15 April 2015 a b With Cash And Cachet The Islamic State Expands Its Empire NPR org 18 November 2014 Retrieved 13 February 2015 a b SPIEGEL ONLINE Hamburg Germany 18 November 2014 Islamic State Expanding into North Africa SPIEGEL ONLINE Retrieved 23 December 2014 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link ISIS comes to Libya CNN 18 November 2014 Retrieved 20 November 2014 Ansar al Sharia Libya relaunches social media sites Long War Journal 9 April 2015 Retrieved 10 April 2015 Egyptian militant group pledges loyalty to Islamic State in audio clip Reuters 10 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 David Von Drehle 26 February 2015 What Comes After the War on ISIS TIME com Retrieved 22 March 2015 Taliban splinter group in Pakistan vows allegiance to ISIS al akhbar 18 November 2014 Archived from the original on 28 January 2015 Retrieved 19 November 2014 IMU Declares It Is Now Part Of The Islamic State Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty 6 August 2015 Retrieved 6 August 2015 Mapping the emergence of the Islamic State in Afghanistan Long War Journal Foundation for Defense of Democracies 5 March 2015 Retrieved 10 March 2015 Withnall Adam 26 April 2015 Boko Haram renames itself Islamic State s West Africa Province Iswap as militants launch new offensive against government forces The Independent London Archived from the original on 2022 05 14 Retrieved 23 August 2015 ISIS Declares Governorate in Russia s North Caucasus Region Institute for the Study of War 23 June 2015 ISIS We Are Operating in Gaza Islamic State Attacks Israel ISIS Supporters Threaten Hamas Take Credit For Launching Rocket From Gaza Paterno Emasquel II 17 September 2014 Philippines condemns vows to thwart ISIS Rappler Retrieved 19 September 2014 The Maldives Syria Connection Jihad in Paradise Jamestown 21 November 2014 Archived from the original on 7 September 2016 Retrieved 16 May 2015 Caleb Weiss 15 October 2017 Islamic State loyal group calls for people to join the jihad in the Congo Long War Journal Retrieved 16 October 2017 Centre Has Taken Note Of ISIS Claiming First Attack In Kashmir Minister NDTV com Retrieved 2018 01 15 Zavadski Katie August 23 2017 ISIS Uses American Boy to Threaten Trump in New Video The Daily Beast Bloom s research shows that children are used not just as propagandists but also as soldiers in the terrorist group s operations ISIS uses nearly two dozen children a month in operations Bloom said McLaughlin Erin February 22 2016 How ISIS recruits children then kills them CNN Retrieved September 3 2017 Bloom Mia Horgan John Winter Charlie February 18 2016 Depictions of Children and Youth in the Islamic State s Martyrdom Propaganda 2015 2016 CTC Sentinel Archived from the original on September 8 2017 Retrieved September 3 2017 Ismay John 17 October 2013 Insight Into How Insurgents Fought in Iraq The New York Times Retrieved 22 August 2014 a b Not Just Iraq The Islamic State Is Also on the March in Syria The Huffington Post 7 August 2014 Retrieved 11 August 2014 a b c Gibbons Neff Thomas 18 June 2014 ISIS propaganda videos show their weapons skills in Iraq The Washington Post Retrieved 11 August 2014 US made Stinger missiles have likely fallen into ISIS hands officials say Fox News Channel 16 June 2014 Retrieved 21 June 2014 a b c Jeremy Bender 9 July 2014 As ISIS Routs The Iraqi Army Here s A Look At What The Jihadists Have In Their Arsenal Business Insider Retrieved 11 August 2014 Prothero Mitchell 14 July 2014 Iraqi army remains on defensive as extent of June debacle becomes clearer Stars and Stripes Retrieved 15 July 2014 Chelsea J Carter Tom Cohen Barbara Starr 9 August 2014 U S jet fighters drones strike ISIS fighters convoys in Iraq CNN Retrieved 5 September 2014 ISIS Holds Military Parade in Mosul Long War Journal 24 June 2014 Retrieved 26 February 2018 Tilghman Andrew Schogol Jeff 12 June 2014 How did 800 ISIS fighters rout 2 Iraqi divisions Military Times Archived from the original on 12 June 2014 Retrieved 14 June 2014 Isis leader calls on Muslims to build Islamic state BBC News 1 July 2014 Retrieved 2 July 2014 Semple Kirk Schmitt Eric 26 October 2014 Missiles of ISIS May Pose Peril for Aircrews The New York Times Islamic State training pilots to fly in three jets Syria monitor Reuters 17 October 2014 Retrieved 17 October 2014 Holmes Oliver 22 October 2014 Syria says shoots down two of three Islamic State jets Reuters Retrieved 22 October 2014 a b Death of Abu Jandal al Kuwaiti CJTF OIR 29 December 2016 Retrieved 30 December 2016 Neville 2018 p 40 a b Neville 2018 p 32 Neville 2018 p 7 Cowell Alan 10 July 2014 Low Grade Nuclear Material Is Seized by Rebels in Iraq U N Says The New York Times Retrieved 15 July 2014 Sherlock Ruth 10 July 2014 Iraq jihadists seize nuclear material says ambassador to UN The Telegraph London Archived from the original on 2022 01 12 Retrieved 15 July 2014 Does ISIL ISIS Pose Chemical Threat Green Cross Archived from the original on 5 November 2014 Retrieved 6 November 2014 a b c Joby Warrick 21 January 2019 Exclusive Iraqi scientist says he helped ISIS make chemical weapons The Washington Post Retrieved 14 February 2019 Al Jazeera and agencies Iraqis say ISIL used chlorine gas in attacks Retrieved 6 November 2014 Works cited edit Neville Leigh 2018 Technicals Non Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces Oxford New York City Osprey Publishing ISBN 9781472822512 Ripley Tim 2018 Operation Aleppo Russia s War in Syria Lancaster Telic Herrick Publications ISBN 978 0 9929458 2 4 Weiss Michael Hassan Hassan 2016 2015 ISIS Inside the Army of Terror Updated 2nd ed London New York City Phaidon Press ISBN 978 1941393574 Further reading editGordon Michael R 2023 Degrade and Destroy The Inside Story of the War Against the Islamic State from Barack Obama to Donald Trump London Picador Paper ISBN 978 1250872807 Gunaratna Rohan Petho Kiss Katalin 2023 Terrorism and the Pandemic Weaponizing of COVID 19 PDF New York City Berghahn Books ISBN 978 1 80073 801 0 Hashim Ahmed S 2018 The Caliphate at War Operational Realities and Innovations of the Islamic State Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 066848 8 Knights Michael Mello Alexander 2015 The Cult of the Offensive The Islamic State on Defense PDF CTC Sentinel 8 4 West Point New York Combating Terrorism Center 1 7 Levy Ido 2021 Soldiers of End Times Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State Washington D C The Washington Institute for Near East Policy ISBN 979 8 9854474 0 8 Malkasian Carter 2017 Illusions of Victory The Anbar Awakening and the Rise of the Islamic State Oxford Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0190659424 Nance Malcolm 2017 Defeating ISIS Who They Are How They Fight What They Believe New York City Skyhorse Publishing ISBN 978 1510711846 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Military of the Islamic State amp oldid 1209130489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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