Why Do They Sit There?

The Islamic State (IS):

An Unrecognized State?
Prisoners about to be executed

Seal of the self-declared Islamic

State, also known as the Caliphate

The Islamic State: A Brief Cultural

Overview
Prepared by the Center for Advanced
Operational Cultural Learning
(CAOCL) 2015
Presented by Vern Liebl

CAOCL Framework
for Instruction
CAOCL Analysis Framework:
Operational Cultural Framework

Physical
Environment

Belief
Systems

Based on documented
anthropology research
Applies to any culture
Emphasizes interrelatedness of
cultural aspects of AO
Best applied at local level

Economy

Terminal Learning Objectives:

Political
Structures

Social
Structure

Understand/know the five

dimensions of culture
In this instance, to Not Interact
with the Local Population/Local
Country
3

Agenda ISI/ISIS/ISIL/Daesh/IS

Introduction
Environment
Economy
Government
Governance
Military

Social Structure
Belief Narrative
Current Issues

How They Fight

International Support
Context
Tying It Together

A Tweet from the Islamic State (IS) showing a

bouncy castle set up in al-Muyadeen, Syria in
Aug 2014; purpose is to recruit boys as
soldiers
4

Origins: What's In a Name

1999 Jund al-Sham (Soldiers of the Levant), founded

by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Afghanistan with seed
money provided by Osama bin Laden, ineffective

Feb (?) 2003 - Jamat al-Tawd wa-al-Jihd, "The

Organization of Monotheism and Jihad" (JTJ),founded
by al-Zarqawi after return from Iran

Oct 2004 changed name to Tanm Qidat al-Jihd f

Bild al-Rfidayn, "The Organization of Jihad's Base in
the Country of the Two Rivers" (TQJBR) when Zarqawi
swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden

Oct 2006 changed name to the Islamic State of Iraq

(ISI, al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi Iraq), commonly referred to
by U.S. as Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)

13 October 2006 - ISI announced establishment of ISI in

Falluja as a caliphate, claiming authority over most of
Iraq; was quickly crushed and forced into a marginal
existence by U.S. forces, IS dates from this time

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

Flag of the TQJBR

Islamic State of Iraq

U.S. Out ISIS/ISIL In

2007-2014 under AQ guidance rebuilt and
inaugurated a multi-year assassination campaign
Dec 2011 complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from
Iraq, Iraqi President Maliki campaign of Sunni
exclusion from governance in Iraq allows ISI to
regenerate strength and presence
Jan 2012 taking advantage of governance
vacuum in Syria, ISI with AQ form Jabhat al-Nusra
in Syria; ISI continued activity in Anbar province,
Iraq

Leaving Iraq, 2011

Jabhat al-Nusra flag

Apr 2013 IS splits from AQ/Jabhat al-Nusra due to

ideological disagreements, renamed itself ISIS/ISIL;
increased activity in Iraq
Jan/Feb 2014 Fallujah and Ramadi fall to ISIS/ISIL

Fallujah, Jan 2014

Now, Not ISIS/ISIL but alDawlat al-Islamiyah

ISIS/ISIL proclaimed itself the
Islamic State in June 2014
Stated the Islamic State (IS)
will expand within 5 years to
its natural caliphal borders
(see map; why?)

New flag of the Islamic State has

very crude calligraphy, is considered
insulting by most Muslims to write
Muhammads name so poorly; ISIS is
emphasizing to Muslims to not
worship a written word

The Islamic State Today

As a sovereign entity, IS/the
Caliphate is currently approximately the
size of Jordan (or Indiana, for a more
familiar comparison)

Current population is estimated at

approximately 5-7 million (population is
difficult to judge, due to massive refugee
flight)

Two views of
the Islamic
State
territory, the
left in May
2015, below
in late
December
2014

The Islamic State is not a member of any

international organizations nor is any
data covering the IS maintained in the
World Bank, the International Monetary
Fund, the United Nations, etc; it is an
unknown

The current capital is Ar-Raqqah (known

simply as Raqqa), located in the Syrian
governorate of the same name
8

Actual IS Organization
Space

Geography of the IS

The Islamic State is creating itself in an austere and exposed location

10

Current (Oct 22, 2015) IS

Operational Space

Kobani

Hasaka

Aleppo

Mosul

Irbil

Raqqa
Hawija
Baiji

Deir al-Zour
Homs

Tikrit

Palmyra

Damascus

Ramadi
Falluja

Baghdad

Topography of The Islamic

State Iraq-side
Outside Fallujah, Anbar

2 3
4
1

4 Baija Refinery, Salah Ad Din

Outside Mosul

Northern Diyala

12

Topography of The Islamic

State Syria-side
1

Looking eastward at Manbij

1
2
3

East of Damascus, IS convoy

en route to Lebanon

The Euphrates in Deir az-Zour province

13

The Islamic State Urban

Terrain
1

Deir az-Zour

1
2

Mosul, Iraq

Palmyra, Syria

14

IS Goal in 2006 Focused on

Space & Economics
Based on captured
document from Oct 2006, ISI
planned for a physical state
with an economic basis
Unknown how long the plan
was to take, likely reached
fruition faster than ISI
planned
Ambitious, considering its
physical status in 2006 to
2010
Intention is to have resource
base, refuge and to self-fund
At this time IS controls
much of the desired
territory

Islamic State Aims:

2015-2019?
Projected Islamic
State expansion in
2015-2019 according
to IS supporters on
Twitter

Funding Streams of the

Islamic State

A modular oil refinery

Minor additional income streams:

Trafficking in plundered
antiquities (UNESCO estimates
$1.6 billion in antiquities
threatened)
Trafficking in organs

BLUF: IS has an estimated war

chest of over $2 billion and a
potential annual income of $900
million (approximately $3 million a
17
day)

Main Pillar of the Islamic

State Economy - Oil

Assessing the economy of the IS is difficult, as there has been

extensive population (and hence economic) movement and
disruption, also no internal reporting

In line with IS efforts, at least 30 oil fields (9 large) and 4 refineries

are currently owned by IS and are being exploited at reduced
rates, in addition to numerous modular/mobile refineries

IS has linked into established oil smuggling networks, primarily

servicing Turkey, but also sub rosa to the Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian
governments

Oil revenue is estimated to be averaging $50,000 to $2 million a

day

Average price per barrel varies between $30 to $10 a barrel

As a comparison, Syria has lost 94% of its oil production capacity

since 2011, down from 400,000 bpd in 2010 to 16,500 in Sep 2014

In addition to deriving income from oil, IS carries on extensive

economic trade across the Turkish border, despite Turkeys
official stance of neutrality

Turkish soldiers cutting

illegal oil pipelines
18

Oil Fields vs IS Control

95F

19

Attacking the Islamic State

Economy - Oil Facilities

Jeribe Modular Refinery

Gbiebe Modular Refinery

The terrorist group, which once controlled

large parts of Iraq and Syria, generates revenue
by selling oil on the black market at a deep
discount. The related smuggling network is one
of the most sophisticated in the world,
suggesting conventional economic and military
20
means may be ineffective.

Establishing a Currency
Making a Statement

"Though we have yet to see any physical coins,

they wouldn't have announced this currency if
they weren't serious about making it"

The Islamic State (IS) "Treasury Department," in its first statement, announced
on 13 Nov 2014 via Twitter that it would mint its own currency
The statement explains of the announced currency:
...it is far removed from the tyrannical monetary system that was imposed on
the Muslims and was a reason for their enslavement and impoverishment, and
the wasting the fortunes of the Ummah [nation], making it easy prey in the
hands of the Jews and Crusaders, the Treasury Department studied the matter
and presented a comprehensive project, by the grace of Allah, to mint a
21
currency based on the inherent value of the metals gold and silver

Islamic State Declared

ISIS determined that not only would it
break with Al Qaeda by establishing a
physical state, but the physical state
needed a functioning state entity for
governance

Once the determination was made to

set up a functional state, the only
appropriate template to follow was
the original caliphate of 632-661 AD

IS passports 11,000 issued so far

However, it was modified by using the

social welfare focus followed by
Hezbollah, keeping the military
separate
Thus, after garnering enough physical
space, on 29 June 2014 the Islamic
State was declared

Islamic State capital building, Raqqa

The Islamic State

Ideal

Idealized Structure of the Islamic State (Historical)

Ruling System: Allah has determined the form of government in Islam to be the
Khilafah system; this ruling system was implemented by the Prophet so the State
functions as one state with a centralized ruling system

The Khaleefah: The head of the State is the Khalifah

The Creed of the State: is built upon the basis that there is No Deity but Allah and
Muhammad is His Messenger

Ruling Principles: Sovereignty belongs to Allah through the Shari'yah, and not the
people; the authority of ruling belongs to the nation (Ummah), the installation into
office of ONE Khalifah is an obligation upon all Muslims and only the Khalifah has the
right to adopt divine laws (Ahkam Shari'yah) for implementation by the State

Citizens of the State: All citizens of the State shall be treated equally regardless of
religion, race, color or any other consideration, the State in all matters, be it ruling,
judiciary, or welfare, is forbidden to discriminate amongst citizens

Geography: The State does not recognize the physical borders or the independence of
one Muslim country from another

Foreign Policy: Cornerstone of the State is to carry Islam to the people as a

global ideology

Government Structure
Beneath the Caliph and the Al-Imara, the IS
divides governance into two broad categories:
Administration and Muslim
Services (all have now
converted into Ministries)

Islamic
State
Al-Imara
(Leadership
Council)

The two deputies, both former Baathist

officers, the Sharia council, cabinet
and others all form the al-Imara
Al-Imara means the Emirate or Principate

Administration

Muslim
Services

An Example of Islamic State

Leadership Structure

An Example of Islamic State

Leadership Structure

Government Administration

Administration

Free housing

Islamic
Outreach
(Dawa)

Courts

Bouncy house
Dawa to attract kids

Sharia
Institutes

Law
Enforcement

Education

Recruitment

Tribal Relations

Policing, Law & Courts

Local police van in Raqqa

Enforcement of court decisions - publically

Courts, Sharia Institutes

Hisba religious police (primarily foreign

fighter volunteers

28

Education

New Curriculum introduced

Boys schooling cut to 6 years; math,

science, arts banned

Girls schooling cut to 2 years

Cubs of the Islamic State getting education 29

Department of Muslim
Services
This department is precisely named, as services provided are given solely to
Muslims (Sunni) and not to Shia Muslims or non-Muslims (Christian, Yezidid)

Muslim
Services

Free health
clinic

Humanitarian
Aid

Sewage worker with

IS logo on shirt

Bakeries

Water &
Electricity

Utilities

Repair electricity lines in Aleppo Wilayet

Power plant office supervised by foreign fighter

Distributing cooking gas in Deir al Zour

Controlling water distribution structures

31

Humanitarian Aid

Handing out free groceries (humanitarian aid)

Boxes of aid to be
Distributed, note IS logo

Iftar food bags for

Ramadan distribution

Transporting water for those without

32

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: the new

Caliph
1971 Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri
al-Samarrai was born in Samarra, Iraq
2003 helped found Jamaat Jaysh Ahl
al-Sunnah wa-i-Jamaah (JJASJ), served
as head of the sharia committee
2006 joined ISI, served as general
supervisor of the ISI's sharia committee and a member of the group's
senior consultative council
16 May 2010 assumed leadership of ISI following the death of Abu Omar
al-Baghdadi
8 April 2013, announced formation of ISIS/ISIL
29 June 2014, establishment of a caliphate, Al-Baghdadi named its
caliph, to be known as Caliph Ibrahim head of state and theocratic
absolute monarch

From Detainee to
Commander of the Faithful
al-Baghdadi was held at Camp Bucca (Camp Bucca was
invaluable in creating IS) as a "civilian internee" by US
Forces-Iraq from February until December 2004, when
he was released
A Combined Review and Release Board recommended
an "unconditional release" of al-Baghdadi and there is
no record of him being held at any other time
Al-Baghdadi has also been known as Dr Ibrahim and Abu Dua,
His full caliphal name is Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Al-Husseini Al-Qurashi;
what does this mean and why did he adopt it?

Abu Bakr after the first Caliph, al-Baghdadi to indicate he will

live in Baghdad, al-Husseini to claim the Levant and alQureshi to claim direct descent from the tribe of Muhammad
Known officially as Amir al-Mu'minin Caliph Ibrahim, it is about legitimacy

The Islamic State Military

BLUF: Mission of the IS military is to establish and maintain a
physical space to ensure the establishment and survival of the
Islamic State
Unlike other terrorist entities:

Has learned to build conventional units

Employs extensive intelligence collection/dissemination (IPB/HUMINT)
Can plan complex operations (integrate both special weapons and social
media to shape the battlefield)
Is not leader-centric, has established chains of command for continuity
Centralized operational planning, decentralized operational execution

IS infantry

IS tank (T-55) in Iraq

35

Military Things

Abu Umar al-Shishani, Emir of

northern Syria and purported tactical
genius

IS leaders planning ops using Google Earth

IS fighters conducting
document exploitation

IS Military Answers to
Al-Imara

2013 Investment
Highlights page (numbers
of incidents by type)
Cover of 2013 Annual Report

2012 Investment
Highlights page (numbers
of incidents by type)

Like conventional military units, subordinate units

provide regular informational, statistical and afteraction reports to higher HQs to enable future planning

Military Structure
(Think T/O&E)

Current strength is unknown but open source reporting generally estimates

approximately 30,000+ troops, somewhat evenly split between the Syria and Iraqi
parts, more likely 100,000+ if including Ansar (support troops), local militias, policestyle (Hisba) security forces, trainees, and various security groups (mukhabarat, e.g.)

Think of IS forces as motorized light infantry with good training and high morale
Brigade - ~1,000 personnel / 150+ vehicles

Battalion - ~200-300 personnel / ~90-120 vehicles

IS weapons platforms

Company - ~80-100 personnel / ~30-45 vehicles

Platoon - ~25-40 personnel / ~10-20 vehicles

12.7mm DShK machine

gun mounted on Toyota 38

IS Imagery
An IS
drone, an
Elbit
Skylark
(Israeli
origins)

IS UAV drone
Command Post,
Apr 2015

IS briefing using drone sourced imagery for

operations against Iraq Army 26th Infantry Brigade in
Thar Thar area of Anbar province, early May 2015

An Aug 2014 image of a Syrian airfield

captured from an ISIS/IS drone (the airfield
has since been captured by IS forces)

39

Recruitment
Recruiting is conducted both locally as well as
internationally via social media; increasing evidence IS
conscripting men
Foreign recruits are given choice of service, many opting
to serve either as front line fighters or within the Hisba
(religious police); some are allowed to bring family
Training is conducted in both Syria and Iraq (in Iraq,
former U.S. bases prominent)

14 yr old Belgian IS
jihadi, now dead

There are 6 categories of recruits: ultra-extremist

religious men, recent converts to IS Wahhabism,
opportunists, local pragmatists, foreigners who arrive to
defend the Sunnis and finally, those drawn by the brutal
political ideology
Salaries are very low, approximately $50 a month during
training, to approximately $1500 a month ($400 is
average) as a regular (thus the extensive evidence of
sideline businesses such as kidnapping, slaving,
livestock rustling, bribery and simple looting)

American IS jihadi
McCain, now dead
40

Salary Supplements
Selling of
antiquities

Female slaves

Hostages

Female slaves and Al Khansaa

41

Foreign Fighter Sourcing

Danish fighter
Now dead

Australian fighter
Now dead

42

Foreign Fighter Sourcing

Indonesian fighters
Cyber recruited

Canadian fighter
Now dead

DOI: May 2015

43

Islamic State Recruits in

America 2015 Examples

Harlem Suarez, 23,

of Key West, Fla.

Jaelyn Young, 20,

of Starkville, Miss.
Asher Khan, 21,
of Spring, Texas
Tairod Pugh,
47, US Air
Force veteran
from Neptune,
N.J.

Ali Shukri Amin, 18,

of Manassas, VA.
Justin Sullivan, 19,
of Morganton, N.C.

Simplified View of Foreign

Fighter Flow

For
comparison:
58 Americans
have joined
IS while 108
have joined
anti-IS forces
DOI:
8 Feb
2015

45

Foreign Fighter Flow

Major Entry Point - Turkey

46

Cyber Recruiting

47

IS Military Training:
Syrian & Iraqi Sites
Recruits receiving
religious
indoctrination and
instruction
Immediate action
drills with
instructor present
Physical training,
enduring pain and
shock with a stick
in the belly
Recruits conducting
a field march
Everybody loves
platoon graduation
photos
Marksmanship training
(note the face on the
target)

48

Islamic State Tactical

Proficiency
IS units in
Qalamoun
Mtns,
Lebanon
Mar 2015

An example of tactical training and

awareness as well as good use of
defilade, only the gun is exposed

Austrian-sourced Steyr .50 caliber sniper

rifle in use with ISIS, March 2015
49

Uniforms = Professional
Appearance

Still a lot of Mix & Match

50

Islamic State Military in

Action

Turkish troops detain ISIL militants after Kurds

push them away from Tel Abyad to Turkey; 15
June 2015

IS artillery piece

Inghimasiyun
sniper

IS soldiers use a
TOW launcher
51

Specialized Units
The ISIS/IS employs specialized units, they are:
Inghimasiyun (those who plunge into battle), a shock
force who frequently lead assaults with suicide
bombings aimed at command & control unit elements,
commanders or to cause mass casualty shock attacks

Inghimasiyun attack

Dhabiha (slaughterers), their purpose is to carry out

execution/massacres of enemies of IS in an organized
fashion, often in conjunction with media/IO elements
Foreign Fighter Brigade, composed primarily of
Chechens and Turks, normally used as a spearhead unit,
possibly designated defensively as a fire brigade unit
(extensive military experience with Russian and NATO
tactics & doctrine)
Al-Khansaa Brigade, an all-female religious police unit
with rear-area security functions, also run IS female
slaving centers and brothels (primarily European
women) as well as participating in internal security
duties

Dhabiha member at work

Al-Khansaa Brigade IO52

photo

An Aspiring Capability
- Air Defense The Syrian Air Defense network, built largely in
the 1970s, once had 25 Air Defense (AD) Brigades
with 150 SAM batteries and 2,000 AA guns of
various calibers; many are now in ISIS hands
Significant AD nodes captured by ISIS are:
Raqqa, Deir az-Zawr, Taqba, Jarah and Hamadan

Manpad (shoulder-launched SAM)

Manpad systems in Syria are:

SA-7 Grail, SA-14 Gremlin, SA-18
Grouse, SA-24 Grinch

IS fighters on a mobile ZSU-23/2 outside Raqqa

Syrian AF MiG-23 shot down over

Aleppo by ISIS

Captured S-60 57mm AAA gun

53

Acquisition/Resupply Via
Quranic Means
The Islamic State
obtained most of its
initial equipment and
almost all subsequent
resupply and newer
acquisitions via
conquest, reinforcing
itself by way of its
enemies resources

Turkish Military Observations

of IS Fighters
Most defining characteristic of IS members is not
how easily they kill, but rather how willingly they
die
Supreme IS fighter goal appears to be attainment
of martyrdom, and sooner rather than later
Islamic State fighters motto is: The Sunni world
wants our blood; we should die so it can live
Turkish officers noted three major factors in
regard to IS strategic superiority
Sustain the pace of combat no matter what
Move quickly
Provide superior logistical support to
fighters

Syrian soldier holding

the head of an IS
fighter

Despite heavy air attacks at Kobani, they were serving two

hot meals a day, all fighters had bottled water and they had
good medical care

55

Cyberspace Integrated Into

Military Efforts, Recruiting, IO

56

Creating/Pirating War Games

to Attract Recruits
An HTML5 game
promoting jihad is
an April 2015
variant of the
popular game
Flappy Bird
The Islamic State's
new Grand Theft
Auto-style video is
designed to attract
younger members,
it is titled Flames
of War
Another HTML5
game promoting
jihad in Chechnya,
Gaza, Iraq, Mali,
Syria, and Tunisia,
was made in Oct
2014
57

Electronic Media Deployed Examples

Logo of IS media outlet

'Muassasat Ajnad - Arabic

Logo of IS media outlet 'alItisam lil-Intaj al-Ilami - Arabic

Issue #7 includes
a declaration of
war against
Japan, the murder
of the Jordanian
pilot by
immolation, and
advice for would
be leaders within
the Islamic State

Message to Pakistani
jihadis - Urdu

Two examples of an online

English language magazine to
attract western jihadis

Regular Media

Islamic State radio

Aleppo Province News

Raqqa Province News

Islamic State television

Diyala Province News Euphrates Province News

59

Sophisticated Information
Operations - Examples

IS beset by U.S., EU, PRC and Russia

Establishing Islamic credentials by

destroying tobacco

Distributing ISIS re-labeled food supplies

stolen from UN World Food Program

Artful use of imagery to create a sinister and

invincible looking force

Sophisticated Social Media

Campaigns - Examples

Selfies in support of ISIS/IS: from

Washington DC, Somalia and Mecca
IS page on Facebook in an ongoing fight with FB

Twitter: Following the murder of 32-year-old PHD student

Nahid Al Manea in Colchester 17 June 2014, Abu Rashash
Britani urged Muslims to carry out revenge attacks

Sophisticated Social Media

Campaigns More Examples

U.S. Central Command Social Twitter account

compromised January 2015

ISIS hackers completely cut transmission of 11

channels belonging to Paris-based TV5 Monde
and took over its websites and social media
accounts for a full three hours on 8 Apr 2015

Pounding the IO Message on

All Levels

Islamic State soldiers are courageous

3,000 FSA fighters defecting to IS in Jan 2015

Trimming trees as civic improvement

IS nursing home, Ninewa, Iraq 63

Not So Sophisticated Media

Campaign Examples
A
crucifixion,
note the
children

First Lieutenant Mu'adh Yusuf al Kasasibah stands in

a cage as the flames lit by an islamic State fighter reach him

The Islamic States dissemination of

gory videos and pictures of its
victims: the new caliphate is trying
to heal the hearts of every believer
inflamed for the cause of Allah

Strategic IO?
Aimed at Whom?

Rehana (the
Angel of
Kobane) in
Kobane, Sep 2014

Rehana killed
by IS, Oct 2014

Rehana in
Kobane, Jun 2015

Propaganda aimed at the U.S.

Washington, DC August 2014

Bakersfield,
California
Feb 2015
Ferguson, Missouri Nov 2014
66

Graffiti Propaganda in U.S.

Graffiti which appears to say

Allahu Akbar ISIS, at Connecticut
Avenue between Dupont Circle and
Adams Morgan, NW DC, Aug 2015
DC police and the FBI have been
aware of such graffiti since Sep
2014

67

IS Conducts Twitter Warfare

Official ISIS tweets:

Every #American citizen is our target in all over the world and we will kill them
one after the other

This is a message for every American citizen; you are the target of every Muslim in the world wherever you are

We will burn U.S. Again

Every American doctor working in any country will be slaughtered if America

attacks Iraq

Dont come to Iraq unless you want another 11th September to happen

ISIS is already here, we are in your PCs, in each military base"

"O Westerners, your governments have lost their minds, and they will let you
pay the cost of their stupidity, the Islamic State is too strong, so you must yield
to it, not fight it!

Wherever our war goes, Jewish rabbis are humiliated

Brothers in Garland Texas Please go to there with your weapons, bombs or

with your knives; threaten your enemies & the enemies of Allaah

68

Behead them in their own

homes
ISIS publishes 'kill list' online of
names, photos and addresses of 100
US military members (20 Mar 2015)

The group said it hacked the private

information from government servers
The supposed ISIS group alluded to a huge
amount of data we have from various
different servers and databases, saying the
group released the information on 100 U.S.
military people (5 Marines), who allegedly
fought against the Islamic State (IS, formerly
ISIS/ISIL) in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, so that
our brothers residing in America can deal
with you
Pictures are primarily pilots

Rapidity of Response
- Humiliation Effort
Feb 18, 2015 CNN
program
discussing how
the Islamic State
is trying to lure
women to the
Middle East

Some of the
responses
from IS
members

Operationally: Using Media as a

Communications Infrastructure
The Islamic State has faced opposition from social media platforms in recent
months, which have suspended IS accounts and deleted its pictures and
videos
Therefore, the Islamic State operates through more private and even
anonymous platforms, such as Ask.Fm or Kik, which enable Western
supporters to contact fighters in Iraq or Syria directly
Known Internet Applications:

Suspected Presence:

Facebook
Skype Messenger
Instagram
Surespot
Justpaste
WhatsApp
Sound Cloud

Uservoice
Slideshare
Vimeo
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Foursquare

Twitter
Youtube
Tumblr
Flickr
Google Play
Telegram

Socrata
Blip
Disqus
Github
Ideascale
Ustream

Think of usage of social apps for communications like

radios employing frequency hopping

An Operational Example:
Paris November 2015

Forget VOIP, Facebook Messenger, Google Chat, WhatsApp, the new communication
device for terrorists is PlayStation 4
PS4 is used by ISIS to communicate, due to the fact that its notoriously hard to
monitor
PlayStation 4 is even more difficult to keep track of than WhatsApp
PlayStations IP-based voice systems are difficult to monitor compared to traditional
forms of communication such as mobile phones and computers

Social Structure Being

Reordered
ISIS is changing the
human terrain, so the
U.S. needs to
acknowledge that
situation they knew
in OIF is no different;
the rules have
changed

Yezidi refugees fleeing into the KRG

Mass murder of Iraqi Shia men by ISIS

Syrian being beheaded

Islamic State sisters, Apr 2015

Religious Laydown of the

Contested Region
Light green
color(s)
indicate
Sunni
Muslims
Brown is
Yezidi

Ongoing or
completed
genocide

Red is
Christian
(Eastern
Churches)
White
indicates no
population

Internal Conditions

Initially Sunni Muslims in both Syria and Iraq welcomed IS as it was viewed as a
correction of the current perception of anti-Sunni actions of both the Baghdad and
Damascus governments

Once IS was in firm control, persecution of Rafidah (Shia), Nasrani (Christians),

Iblis worshippers (Yezidi) and Munafiqun (Sunni Hypocrites) began

Extreme shortages, open theft by IS/Hisbah personnel, rapes, denunciations

followed by arrests/executions, destruction of libraries, killing for sexual
orientations, killings for women being
incorrectly dressed, torture for women
caught breast-feeding in public

Survival of the Islamic State depends on

passive acceptance of populace results in
unpredictable kindness measures such
as dispensation of free propane gas, water,
food, etc to Sunni Muslims

Extreme social turbulence is the result,

resulting in flight or apathy

ISIS/IS confiscates weapons from tribes in its area of control as a matter of policy

Women in Raqqa, passing sign instructing

women how to dress and behave

Life Under the Islamic State:

Fatwas
A SELECTION OF ISLAMIC STATE FATWAS ISSUED
SINCE DECEMBER 2014
Fatwa 40: December 17, 2014
Women should not wear make-up or show any part of
their face, including their eyes, in case lures men into
temptation
Fatwa 41: December 17, 2014
Women can carry weapons such as Kalashnikov rifles
under their robes providing they do not add definition to
her body, luring men into temptation
Fatwa 44: December 17, 2014
Women must cover their entire body in thick, loose fitting
material that does not resemble the clothing of men or
that of women in the West. They must not slap their
thighs or act flirtatiously as it is highly arousing, nor can
they wear perfume
Fatwah 50: December 28, 2014
It is permissible to play foosball [table football] providing
the game does not allow gambling, encourage cursing,
feature characters in human or animal form, or inhibit the
worshiping of God

Example of IS fatwa issued in

Dec 2014 to cover acceptable
behavior in Raqqa, Syria

IS acceptable female clothing

Imposed Cultural Change

ISIS fighter with his new concubine

Recruitment of child soldiers, Aleppo camp

Propaganda video
detailing the skills
and virtues an
Islamic State wife
would need

Beheading of a
Syrian man for
insulting Allah

Ideological Rationale for

Social Reordering
The Islamic State is employing a series of evocative religious themes to create
an imagined religio-political bond, in which the resulting mythic narrative will
resonate powerfully amongst Muslims (Sunni, specifically) and provide
immediate legitimacy
Example Themes:

Surprising success with small numbers of believers;

taking Mosul from with only 800 fighters
The Battle of Badr, Muhammads first victory

Triumphant return of the Exile; al-Baghdadi returning

to Baghdad from exile in Syria
Muhammads return from Medina and conquest of Mecca

Establishing the House of Islam; the Islamic State established

Establishment of Dar ul-Islam in Medina by Mohammad

The IS is refighting Caliph Abu Bakrs Ridda Wars of 632-634

The aimed end-state is establishment of a

Middle East Caliphate headquartered
in Baghdad

Is The Islamic State Based on

Islam or Radical Islam?
The members of the Islamic State, approximately 100,000 in total (so they are a
vanguard party), are Sunni Muslims who self-identify as Muwahhidun (meaning
Unitarians, there are two Muwahhidun states already, Saudi Arabia and Qatar),
commonly known as Wahhabi
The IS believes that the Muwahhidun of Saudi Arabia and Qatar have become too
liberal and corrupt, and that all Sunni Muslims must be brought back to the strict and
austere belief of the Tawhid of the Rashidun Caliphs (as articulated by Ibn Tammiyah
[13th century] and Mohammad Wahhab [18th century])
Primary Quranic injunctions used as guidance by IS:
3:32
9:29
48:29
9:73
4:24
9:111
5:33
47:35
9:5
2:106
This is all mainstream Islamic thought and teaching, although it has rarely been
acted upon so openly with deliberate intent since the beginning of the 1800s
The specific Neo-Muwahhidun (Neo-Wahhabi) part is: Loyalty and Disavowal (alWala wal-Bara or Love & Hate for God), which imposes a harsh self-policing
discipline and vicious aggressiveness

Scriptural Based Terror

Extracts from The
Management Of
Savagery, written by
Abu Bakr Naji and
studied by commanders
in Syria and Iraq,
envisages a long
struggle
- Soon shall We cast terror
into the hearts of the
Unbelievers, for that they
joined companions with
Allah, for which He had sent
no authority Quran 3:151
- "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads
and strike off every fingertip of them Quran 8:12
- Allah's Apostle said... 'I have been made victorious with terror Bukhari 52:220 (Hadith)
80

There is No Contradiction
"Allah has bestowed His gifts of sustenance more
freely on some of you than on others: those more
favored are not going to throw back their gifts to
those whom their right hands possess, so as to
be equal in that respect. Will they then deny the
favors of Allah?
- Sura 16:71
"Never be a helper to the unbelievers.
- Sura 28:86
Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war
against Allah and His Messenger and strive
upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but
that they be killed or crucified or that their
hands and feet be cut off from opposite
sides or that they be exiled from the land.
That is for them a disgrace in this world; and
for them in the Hereafter is a great
punishment
- Sura 5:33

Translating the Narrative into

Reality
Guiding Principle:
Purification of Islamic society takes priority over combat against nonMuslim societies/countries
Thus, the Islamic State, in order of importance in removing from
society, is:
1) Munafiqin (hypocrites, dissemblers and false Muslims)
2) Apostates
3) Rafidah/Rafidites (Shia)
These are the close (or near) enemy

Reality as Applied by the

Islamic State
Islam brings freedom
Democracy is evil and slavery
Individual liberty is a mirage, sapping courage
and family security
Islamic state goals:
Erasure of national borders
Removal of secular governance structures
Condemnation of Al Qaeda
Condemnation of HAMAS, Muslim
Brothers, etc
Condemnation of Saudi and Hashemite
dynasties
Rejection of Kaaba as pagan
Purification of Muwahhidun
Forcible Policing of the Umma

Renewal of the Ridda Wars

Killing an apostate

The Islamic State symbolically as a

white horse escaping from wolves

What Does This Mean?

Article image from IS February 2015 issue of Dabiq magazine

ISIS/IS Future Targeting:

The Kaaba & Shia Sites
ISIS/IS has clearly stated that they have
clear goals far beyond just establishing a
new Caliphate and neo-Wahhabi state

They have stated (29 June 2014):

If Allah wills, we will kill those who worship

stones in Mecca and destroy the Kaaba.
People go to Mecca to touch the stones, not
for Allah

In addition, Karbal and Najaf, central to Shia

Muslims, have been threatened:

March to righteous Baghdad, Baghdad of the

khilafa and be certain that Allaah will give you
victory. Yes! in between you and me there will
be justice settled, and it wont be in Samara
nor Baghdad. It will be held in the filthy
Karbala ( shirk town) and Najef what you
degraded from a capital city into a city off
shirk!

The Kaaba
in Mecca,
Saudi
Arabia

Imam Husayn
Mosque,
Karbala,
Iraq

Imam Ali
Mosque,
Najaf, Iraq

Driving for the Apocalypse

Appealing to apocalyptic expectation is an important part of ISISs modus
operandi, and goading the West into a final battle in Syria is a critical
component of the scenario
If you think all these mujahideen came from across the world to fight
Assad, youre mistaken. They are all here as promised by the Prophet. This
is the war he promised it is the Grand Battle
For IS, the trigger to the apocalypse is the mass introduction of
U.S./Coalition forces into Suraqiya
Islamic State Quotes:

The spark has been lit here in Iraq, and its

heat will continue to intensify by Allahs
permission until it burns the crusader armies
in Dbiq.
We are waging the final battles of the
apocalypse"
Armies of 'Rome' will come to Northern Syria
to fight Islamic soldiers
The Antichrist will 'appear in the empty area
between Sham [Syria] and Iraq'

IS War Fighting Technique in

Iraq: Fear and Advertising

Common IW theme in all activities: ISIS/IS flag

How ISIS Fights

ISIS combat is planned out, with Information Operations the priority
Physical occupation is secondary to getting the picture with a flag to show
victory
ISIS executed a masterful Psychological Operation against Iraqi military and
security personnel, playing on exhaustion (10 plus years of conflict), fear
(beheadings) and religion (the Will of Allah i.e., fatalistic acceptance of ones fate)
ISIS skillfully use Smartphones and texting to insert their propaganda narrative into
the information flow, pre-empting or breaking into active military and police
communication networks
Adroitly use social media to both shape
and prep the international battlespace

Deliberate Propagation of
Fear

Not only does this image induce fear among civilians, it also plays on existing
Iraqi (in fact, trans-Arab) issues of corruption, elitism and income inequity; is
literally a Marxist messaging orthodoxy we are familiar with
In fact, much of the IW strategy of ISIS is Maoist in orientation

BLUF: IS Military Culture

Or Shock and Awe
ISIS presents itself as an ideologically superior alternative to al-Qaida, publicly
challenging the legitimacy of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri
As stated earlier, ISIS retains a highly centralized command structure coupled with
an extremely decentralized operational model, in essence using numerous flying
columns in which the Commanders Intent is known but execution is extremely
flexible (coupled with traditional Arab swarm tactics)
Use of such tactics keeps opposition organizations off-balance, enabling ISIS to
appear as a winner; in Arab colloquial parlance, the strong horse
Cyber-wise, ISIS has obtained information dominance by using social media,
satellite communications (phones) and an agility to jump from type to type
(Facebook to Twitter to Google to whatever is available), essentially achieving
electronic swarming and swamping
Logistical provisions are extremely austere, in which there is few or no supporting
arms, no provision of fuel, water, ammunition or any of the traditional appurtenances
of mechanized warfare; ISIS lives off the land and uses whatever is readily at hand,
or they go around

Declared Known Global

Supporters of ISIS/IS
Jordan: the Sons of the Call for Tawhid and
Jihad
Sudan: the Al-Attasam bel-Ketab wa al-Sunna
Pakistan: the Tehreek-e-Khalifat
Yemen: the al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Nigeria: the Boko Haram

Egypt: the Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis
Libya: the Al-Batar Brigade
Philippines: the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters and the Abu Sayyaf Group
Gaza: the Al Dalwa Al-Islamia
Syria: factions of the Free Syrian Army have
broken away and joined IS
Somalia: factions of al-Shaabab have broken
away and pledged to ISIS

Image sent by
Tehreek-e-Khilafat
(Pakistan)
announcing
allegiance to alBaghdadi (IS)

International Support for IS

Indian Muslims sporting ISIS T-shirts at

a mosque in Ramanathapuram district

A map released by Islamic State members in

Libya showing the three official regions of the
IS branch in Libya

Supporters of the
Islamic State in
Jerusalem (Jama'at
Ansar al-Dawlat alIslamiyya fi Beit alMaqdis)

IS supporters
in Italy

U.S. Allies: Declared and

Unintentional
The original countries in the US-led
coalition against ISIS/IS were/are*:
Canada
Britain
France ***
Netherlands
Italy
Belgium
Finland
Poland
Albania
South Korea
Egypt
Bahrain
Kuwait
Lebanon
Iraq

Turkey
Australia
Germany
Spain
Switzerland
Norway
Estonia
Hungary
Japan
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Oman
Qatar
Jordan

*(all NATO countries, most EU, all GCC)

ISIS Syrian Rebels Burn Palestinian Flag

in Aleppo

Unintentional U.S. allies?

Syria (Assad)
Iran
Palestinian Authority
HAMAS (Gaza)
Russia

However, Strategic Context is

Vital

If Culminated, Is This Why

Expanding This Way?

A Shrinking Al Qaeda
Presence?

More Strategic context

Recent and Ongoing Actions

Broadcasting Islamic State slogan lasting and expanding

Retrenchment/Redirection
Defeat at Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq (Oct 2014)
Defeat at Kobane, Syria (Jan 2015)
Defeat (temporary?) in Diyala, Iraq
Uncertain status with Sunni tribes in Anbar, Iraq
Defeat at Tikrit, Iraq (Apr 2015)
Defeated in Lebanon; aiming to take/occupy the Qalamoun Mtns
Expansion into exclaves (Sinai, Libya, Tunisia, Gaza)
Victory at Ramadi, Iraq (May 2015)
Victory at Palmyra, Syria (May 2015)
Defeat at Tal Abyan (June 2015)
Cyber encouragement of Jundallahs (Soldiers of God)
Kurdish
YPG
victors at
Kobani, Feb
2015

IS flag flying
over Palmyra
castle, May 2015
NY City Lone
Wolf Attacker,
Oct 2014

Quick Recap on IS Military

Islamic State troops are highly motivated, offensively oriented, highly kinetic

When forced to assume defensive, thin out forces to mass for a counteroffensive to divert and distract the enemy
Extreme use of IEDs: in offense via car, truck, APC, truck, tank SVBIEDs; in
defense, assume everything is an IED and covered by snipers & drones
Employ extreme brutality for purpose IO, PsyOps, etc.; internal security forces
employ draconian measures (i.e., genocide)
Supporting Islamic State aim of invoking the Apocalypse (millenarianism) to
bring about the coming of the Redeemer (Isa/Jesus)
Main factor to bring about the Apocalypse deployment of U.S. military forces
into Middle East against IS in significant force

Tying It All Together By

Asking Some Questions
First The Human Terrain the U.S. knew during OIF has been completely
altered by IS; what this means is the rules have changed.
Next, is ISIS/IS a terrorist organization, a state or something else (President
Obama labeled it a so-called state in mid-Feb 2015, then on 20 Nov 2015
called it a terrorist organization)?
If it is a terror organization (ISIS/ISIL), how should it be attacked or mitigated;
whereas if it is a state (IS/Caliphate), what then?
If its stated goals are to cleanse the Dar al-Islam, who or what are its
primary targets?
After defining the primary target(s) of the IS, what if it is not the West (us), and
if not, then what should be the U.S. approach?
Does Cyber conflict, which automatically transcends national borders,
indicate we are already at war?
Might ISIS/IS pose an existential threat to the U.S. at some future point, and if
so, then what should the U.S. and when (President Obama stated in mid-Feb
2015 that ISIL poses a grave threat to U.S. national security interests but
on 20 Nov 2015 said it could not strike America a mortal blow)?

Any Questions?

ISF Special Forces

Shia Militias (PMUs)

Kurdish YPG & Free Syrian Army

Hezbollah in Syria

Potential local
anti-IS allies
Iraqi Sunni Tribal Militia

Iranian Al Qods Elements

Alawite National
Defence Unit