ISIL terrorists claim formation of Islamic caliphate

Militants from the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have claimed the formation of a so-called Islamic caliphate or state.

In an audio recording distributed on extremist websites on Sunday, ISIL’s spokesman, Abu Mohammad al-Adnani declared the terrorist group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “the caliph” and “leader of Muslims everywhere”.

“The Shura (council) of the Islamic State met and discussed this issue… (and) the Islamic State decided to establish an Islamic caliphate and to designate a caliph for the state of the Muslims,” said Adnani.

The spokesman added that the caliphate, which is named the Islamic State, will extend from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala in Iraq.

The terrorist group, which has been financially and logistically backed by the West and their regional allies, is notorious for its fear campaign and ruthless crimes in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

On June 10, the Takfiri militants gained control of Mosul, the capital of Iraq’s Nineveh Province, which was followed by the fall of Tikrit, located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northwest of Baghdad.

Over the past days, Iraqi armed forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with the terrorists, who have threatened to take their acts of violence to other Iraqi cities, including the capital, Baghdad. However, the ISIL’s advance has been slowed down as Iraqi military and volunteer forces have begun engaging them on several fronts.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the Western-backed militants.