Updated May 10, 2022
The Islamic State
The Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL, ISIS, or the
Select Global Affiliate Groups
Arabic acronym Da’esh) is a transnational Sunni Islamist
Since 2014, local armed groups in various countries have
insurgent and terrorist group. At its 2015 height, the group
affiliated with the Islamic State, with varied and evolving
controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria, including some
goals, tactics, and leadership structures. The threats they
cities, from which it launched attacks in the region and
pose to U.S. interests also vary. After the group’s territorial
beyond. While the group no longer controls territory
defeat in Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials warned that IS
outright in Syria and Iraq, U.S. military officials warn that
leadership aimed to expand elsewhere, notably in Africa.
it maintains a low-level insurgency and has worked to
The State Department’s 2020 Country Reports on
expand its global presence via a burgeoning number of
Terrorism reported that, “ISIS affiliates outside Iraq and
affiliate groups. The 2022 Annual Threat Assessment of the
Syria caused more fatalities during 2020 than in any
U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) stated that “ISIS leaders
previous year [...] Deaths attributable to ISIS-affiliated
remain committed to their vision of building a self-styled
attacks in West Africa alone almost doubled from around
global caliphate headquartered in Iraq and Syria and are
2,700 in 2017 to nearly 5,000 in 2020.” As of 2022, the
working to rebuild capabilities and wear down opponents
U.S. State Department has designated nine groups
until conditions are ripe for seizing and holding territory.”
worldwide as IS affiliates and Foreign Terrorist
Organizations (FTOs).
Origins and Leadership
The Islamic State grew out of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI),
Middle East/North Africa
formerly known as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). In 2011, some
Islamic State Sinai Province, formerly known as Ansar
ISI members traveled to Syria to establish a new Al Qaeda
Bayt al Maqdis, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in
affiliate there, known as the Nusra Front. In 2013, then-ISI
2014. Based in Egypt’s North Sinai, the group claimed
leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi announced that ISI and the
responsibility for the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger
Nusra Front had merged into the Islamic State of Iraq and
plane, killing 231 people, and is believed to have carried
Al Sham (ISIS/ISIL). Al Qaeda rejected Baghdadi’s move
out a 2017 attack on a mosque in the Sinai, killing more
to subsume the Nusra Front under his leadership, and
than 300 people. In 2021, the group continued to target
severed ties with the group in 2014. Baghdadi later declared
Egyptian security personnel.
the establishment of a “caliphate” and renamed the group,
Islamic State in Libya. IS-Libya was established in 2014.
calling it the Islamic State. In March 2019, the U.S.-backed
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the group’s last
U.S. airstrikes weakened the group, helping oust it from its
last stronghold in the city of Sirte in 2016. In late 2020,
territorial outpost in Syria. Baghdadi died in a U.S. raid on
U.S. military officials assessed that IS-Libya posed “only a
his compound in northern Syria in October 2019. He was
minimal threat to U.S. interests in Libya.” In mid-2021, the
succeeded as IS leader by Abu Ibrahim al Hashimi al
group claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a
Qurayshi. In February 2022, a U.S. military operation in
checkpoint that killed two security personnel.
Idlib resulted in the death of Qurayshi, also known as Hajji
Abdullah. In March the group named a new leader. Some
Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) was established
reports identified him as Juma Awad al Badri, an Iraqi
in Afghanistan in 2015 by Pakistani, Afghan, and Central
national and brother of former IS leader Baghdadi.
Asian militants. ISKP opposes the Taliban, and has
accelerated attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s
Current Status: Syria and Iraq
return to power in 2021. U.S. officials in March 2022
The Islamic State continues to wage a low-level insurgency
assessed that ISKP “could establish an external attack
across Syria and Iraq. In 2021, U.S. Central Command
capability against the United States or its allies in twelve to
(CENTCOM) assessed that, “ISIS likely has sufficient
eighteen months.”
manpower and resources to operate indefinitely at its
present level in the Syrian desert.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Islamic State West Africa Province was formed in 2015
Islamic State Detainees. The SDF continue to hold about
as an offshoot of the Nigerian Islamist armed group Boko
10,000 IS fighters in detention facilities across northern
Haram, and has grown to surpass it in size and capacity. It
Syria. In January 2022, U.S. air and ground forces in Syria
operates in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad.
joined SDF partner forces in a lengthy battle to retake a
prison seized by IS fighters. It was the largest U.S. military
Islamic State Greater Sahara emerged in 2015 as an
engagement with the Islamic State since 2019. The SDF
offshoot of Al Murabitoun—itself an offshoot of Algerian-
also retains custody of about 57,000 people linked to the
led Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. The group operates in
Islamic State (mostly women and children) at the Al Hol
Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso; a 2017 ambush by the group
IDP camp. U.S. military officials have warned of ongoing
in Niger killed four U.S. soldiers. IS media elevated IS-GS
to its own “province” in 2022.
IS radicalization and recruitment efforts at the camp.

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The Islamic State
Islamic State Democratic Republic of the Congo (ISIS-
Training, Equipping, and Advising Partner Forces
DRC) was established in 2019 as a re-branding of the
The United States has trained local partner forces in Iraq
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a long-active Ugandan-
and Syria with the goal of limiting the size and duration of
origin insurgent group. ADF attacks in 2021 killed more
the U.S. military presence required to counter the Islamic
than 1,200 people in DRC, up almost 50% from the
State. Since late 2015, U.S. personnel have been deployed
previous year, according to U.N. reporting. The group also
in an advisory and planning capacity with the SDF in
carried out large urban attacks in Uganda in late 2021, a
northern Syria. U.S. military personnel also deployed to
departure from recent years in which it appeared to operate
Iraq to advise and train Iraqi forces, gather intelligence on
solely in DRC.
the Islamic State, and secure U.S. personnel and facilities.
In December 2021, U.S. military personnel with a combat
Islamic State-Mozambique (IS-M), a local group that
role withdrew from Iraq, with an undisclosed number
affiliated with the Islamic State in 2019, launched an
remaining at the invitation of the Iraqi government to
insurgency in 2017 that has killed about 1,700 civilians and
provide advice and assistance alongside coalition partners.
displaced 784,000 people. In 2021, IS-M attacked the town
of Palma, killing dozens. Palma hosts a U.S. government-
Current Funding and the FY2023 Request. Congress has
backed natural gas processing facility that Total, a French
authorized U.S. train and equip programs for Iraq and Syria
firm, is developing. After the attack, Total suspended the
through December 2022, and has appropriated defense
project pending a restoration of secure operating conditions.
funding for train and equip programs in both countries
South and East Asia
through September 2022. The Administration’s FY2023
Islamic State Philippines, also known as ISIS-East Asia
defense request seeks $541 million for the Counter-ISIS
(ISIS-EA), is comprised of remnants of the Abu Sayyaf
Train and Equip Fund (CTEF), including $358 million for
Group and other local militant groups. ISIS-EA, which
Iraq and $183 million for Syria. This reflects an increase
pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014, has around
from the prior two years ($500 million and $460 million
300-500 mostly Filipino and some foreign fighters. The
enacted for CTEF in FY2022 and FY2021, respectively).
group has carried out sporadic attacks in Mindanao and
The Defense Department reports that it intends to enlarge
Sulu in the southern Philippines.
the number of vetted Syrian groups and individuals in
FY2023 by 3,500 personnel, primarily to recruit and train
Islamic State Bangladesh pledged allegiance to the
new detention facility guard forces.
Islamic State in 2014. The group’s largest operation was a
2016 attack on a bakery popular with expatriates that killed
Post-IS Stabilization
20. Since then, the group has continued sporadic attacks
The United States has provided stabilization assistance in
largely targeting Bangladesh police.
areas of Syria and Iraq liberated from the Islamic State in
The Domestic Threat
an effort to prevent the group’s re-emergence, including
The 2022 IC Annual Threat Assessment reported that the
more than $1.3 billion in stabilization assistance for Syria
threat posed by the Islamic State to U.S. persons and
since 2011. The State Department describes such assistance
interests “probably will remain greatest in regions where
as “a critical element in the OIR mission because it
the group has an operational presence; ISIS’s ideology and
mitigates the economic and social cleavages previously
propaganda, however, almost certainly will continue to
exploited by ISIS, closes gaps in local authority capacity,
inspire attacks in the West, including in the United States.”
and supports civil society to advocate for citizen needs.”
Select U.S. Policy Tools
Sanctions
The United States seeks to limit the Islamic State’s ability
Military Operations
to finance its operations, in part by preventing the group
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Defense established
and its affiliates from accessing the U.S. financial system.
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve
The State Department designated the above affiliates as
(OIR) to formalize U.S.-led coalition operations against IS
FTOs and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists
forces in Iraq and Syria. While the campaign to retake the
(SDGTs); U.S. and foreign financial institutions that
Islamic State’s territorial “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria was
knowingly conduct or facilitate any significant transaction
largely carried out by local Syrian and Iraqi partner forces,
on behalf of these groups could be subject to U.S.
the United States provided airstrikes, artillery, advice, and
sanctions. 18 U.S.C. 2339B, prohibiting persons under U.S
intelligence support. In 2020, OIR entered its final phase,
jurisdiction from providing material support or resources to
during which the Coalition seeks to enable partner forces to
designated FTO, makes punishable any such act and
operate independently against IS remnants.
requires financial institutions to seize assets related to
questionable transactions. IS affiliates also are subject to
Global Partnerships
U.N. sanctions under U.N. Security Council Resolution
In 2014, the United States formed the Global Coalition to
2368 (2017), which requires member states to apply an
Defeat ISIS with 83 partner governments and institutions.
asset freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo to any individual
Most coalition members did not participate in the military
or entity on the ISIL (Da’esh) & Al Qaida Sanctions List.
campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, but
U.S. officials sought their cooperation to counter the flow
Carla E. Humud, Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs
of foreign fighters, IS financing, and IS propaganda. A sub-
group of foreign ministers continue to meet as part of the
IF10328
Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Small Group.
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The Islamic State


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10328 · VERSION 21 · UPDATED

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