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AirTalk

ISIL declares Islamic state in Iraq and Syria

By AirTalk Staff
Published Jun 30, 2014
Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the Shrine city on June 26, 2014. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki conceded that political measures are needed alongside military action to repel a Sunni insurgent offensive that is threatening to tear Iraq apart.
Members of the Al-Abbas brigades, who volunteered to protect the Shiite Muslim holy sites in Karbala against Sunni militants fighting the Baghdad government, parade in the streets of the Shrine city on June 26, 2014. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki conceded that political measures are needed alongside military action to repel a Sunni insurgent offensive that is threatening to tear Iraq apart.
(
MOHAMMED SAWAF/AFP/Getty Images
)
Listen 14:04
ISIL declares Islamic state in Iraq and Syria

The al-Qaeda splinter group ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) has proclaimed the areas in Iraq and Syria already under its control as a new Islamic "caliphate". The group has also changed its name to "Islamic State."

An ISIL spokesman said the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is the leader of the new Islamic state and said that all Muslims should swear loyalty to him. The group is reportedly comprised of 7,000 to 10,000 fighters and supported by a variety of insurgent groups. Since taking over control of the Iraqi cities of Mosul of Tikrit in mid-June, ISIL's influence has spread throughout the region.

What are the implications of its latest declaration of an Islamic state?

Guests:  

Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives and Distinguished Scholar Middle East Program at the Wilson Center