Iraq crisis: ISIL declares captured regions as Islamic 'caliphate'

Beirut: An offshoot of al-Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic “Caliphate” and called on jihadi factions worldwide to pledge allegiance to it, the SITE monitoring service said on Sunday. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has renamed itself “Islamic State” and declared its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as “Caliph” - the head of the state, SITE said. Fighters from the group overran the Iraqi city of Mosul last month and have advanced towards Baghdad. In Syria they have captured territory in the north and east, along the frontier with Iraq. [caption id=“attachment_1584063” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AP[/caption] Last week, al-Qaeda’s Syrian offshoot made an oath of loyalty to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant at a key town on the Iraqi border, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the merger is significant because it opens the way for ISIL to take control of both sides of the border at Albu Kamal in Syria and Al-Qaim in Iraq, where the jihadist group has led a major offensive this month. ISIL aspires to create an Islamic state that straddles Iraq and Syria. Reuters and AFP