Orientul Mijlociu

Structure of a State: Captured Documents and the Islamic State’s Organizational Structure

When the group known as the Islamic State declared its caliphate in June 2014, it did so with a promise that it was not just an organization engaged in fighting, but in governing as well. As a result, the group’s pursuit of “stateness” required an investment in more than just battlefield advances. It also had to demonstrate a capability to create institutions that ostensibly served the dual purposes of imposing its interpretation of order on people while also improving the lives of its citizens.

While much has been written about the various bureaucratic agencies and institutions created by the Islamic State during the highwater mark of its tenure in Iraq and Syria, still relatively little is known about the size and scope of those institutions, or the personnel power needed to sustain them. Through analysis of a small number of key primary source documents, this report offers a glimpse at both facets, demonstrating that the Islamic State created intricate organizational structures to support its governance efforts, but also that the group’s funding supported tens of thousands of individuals and their families in Iraq.

Although it has lost much of its territorial holdings in Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State has continued to show interest in governance there and in its affiliate provinces around the world, making the information contained in this report an important baseline against which to compare the group’s ongoing efforts.

List of Geographic Identifiers for IS Identification Numbers (English)
List of Geographic Identifiers for IS Identification Numbers (Arabic)
There are two versions of the chart in the original Arabic language document. The English translation is for the chart on page 2. However, there are minor differences between the two charts, which are detailed as follows: 1- On the top left corner of the chart on page 1, there is a red stamp that reads: “The Islamic State” “The General Monitoring Committee.” 2- There is a handwritten note on the bottom left corner of the chart on page 2 that reads: “Reserve” or “Archive.” 3- On the chart on page 1, one of the three names under the “War Committee” is written as “Shaykh ( )” which could mean that the person in that position has not been assigned yet. However, in the chart on page 2, it was written as “al-Shaykh” without parentheses.4- On the chart on page 1, the name of the individual under the “General Military Administration” was written as: “Abu Wala’, ” whereas in the chart on page 2, it was written as “Abul-Wala’.”
Islamic State military organizational chart, undated (Arabic)
Islamic State memo for dealing with new recruits (English)
Islamic State memo for dealing with new recruits (Arabic)

Iran Urges Vienna Nuclear Talks Parties To Make Decisions

Despite progresses in the negotiations, the parties have announced that some “serious” differences have not been bridged.

Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday urged the parties in the Vienna talks to make their decisions on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

4 killed in US airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria

The United States military said on Sunday it targeted operational and weapons storage facilities at two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq.

At least four members of Shi’ite militias were killed in “defensive precision airstrikes” which US President Joe Biden ordered against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups along the Iraq-Syria border region on Sunday night.

Did Netanyahu sabotage ties with the US?

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied charges that he was deliberately trying to harm Israel’s relationship with the Biden administration.

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu was acting “childishly and irresponsible” by attempting to harm ties between the new Israeli government and the Biden administration, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a closed-door meeting of his Yamina faction.

John Bolton joins newly launched Turkish Democracy Project

The group describes its mission as “encouraging Turkey to adopt more democratic policies and responding to the steady erosion of Turkey’s democratic institutions.”

John Bolton, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, says he’s joined the advisory council of the Turkish Democracy Project, a newly launched nonprofit, “to shine a light on the darkening situation” in Turkey.