The
spokesman for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Abu Mohammed
al-Adnani, made the announcement in an audio statement posted online.
Islamic extremists have long dreamed of recreating the Islamic state, or
caliphate, that ruled over the Middle East for hundreds of years.
Abu
Mohammed al-Adnani said the group's chief, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is the
new leader, or caliph, of the Islamic state. He called on those living
in the areas under the organization's control to swear allegiance to
al-Baghdadi and support him.
"The
legality of all emirates, groups, states and organizations becomes null
by the expansion of the caliph's authority and the arrival of its
troops to their areas," al-Adnani said.
He
said that with the creation of the caliphate, the group was changing
its name to just the Islamic State, dropping the mention of Iraq and the
Levant.
It was unclear what
immediate practical impact the declaration would have on the ground in
Syria and Iraq, or among the wider global jihadi community.
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