Al Qaeda v ISIS: Origins & Global Reach
By Cameron Glenn
Al Qaeda and 滨厂滨厂听鈥 also known as ISIL,听the Islamic State, or Daesh (in Arabic) 鈥撎齛re both violent extremist groups propagating a hardline Islamist ideology.听But they are rivals who differ in their strategy to achieve the same objectives.听For more than two decades, al Qaeda was the dominant worldwide jihadist organization. In 2014, it began to face a challenge from ISIS, which declared the creation of an Islamic State after seizing large swaths of Iraq and Syria. ISIS quickly achieved what had been al Qaeda鈥檚 longtime goal 鈥 establishing听a global caliphate.听
Al Qaeda听emerged from networks of jihadist fighters who flocked to Afghanistan to fight the Soviet invasion in the 1980s. Al Qaeda seeks to establish a caliphate, but only听as a long-term goal. Its strategy has focused on high-profile attacks against Western targets rather than conquering territory. 鈥淚f our state is not supported by the proper foundations鈥he enemy will easily destroy it,鈥 former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2010.
滨厂滨厂听emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq,听but severed ties with al Qaeda in 2014 as it听captured territory. ISIS has conducted brutal听sectarian听attacks听and, unlike al Qaeda,听actively seeks to conquer听and rule听territory. 听A 2014 ISIS publication claimed the group is 鈥渘ow opposed by the present leadership of famous jihad groups who have become frozen in the [attack] phase鈥onsidering the attainment of power to be taboo or destructive.鈥
Both al Qaeda and ISIS have global franchises that extend across Asia and Africa.听Several听jihadist groups began declaring allegiance to ISIS in 2014, while others reaffirmed their support for al Qaeda. With the rise of ISIS, the affiliations are not always straightforward. Some members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) 鈥 one of al听Qaeda鈥檚 strongest branches 鈥 have听expressed听听for ISIS.听The two听are battling听for dominance of the global jihadist movement.听
翱谤颈驳颈苍蝉听
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Osama bin Laden (left) formed al Qaeda in the late 1980s from jihadist groups based in听Central Asia.听It was held responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the September 11 bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.听After the 9/11 attacks, U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan, weakening al Qaeda by听capturing and killing many of its core members. By 2013, U.S. officials estimated that only听听al Qaeda members remained in Afghanistan.听
During the 2000s, al Qaeda听evolved into a vast network of formal affiliates and informal allies.听One of the affiliates was al Qaeda in Iraq, the predecessor of ISIS. It was founded in 2004 under Abu听Musab听al Zarqawi. It was rebranded as the Islamic State in Iraq in 2006. The surge of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007 drove the group from its strongholds; many of its core members were killed or imprisoned. 听
In 2011, al Qaeda faced a major setback with the death of Osama bin Laden. Ayman al Zawahiri took over the group鈥檚 leadership. At the same time,听the Islamic State of Iraq took advantage of听the growing unrest in Syria by 听fighters to听Idlib, Aleppo, and听Deir听Ezzor.听
The听Islamic State of Iraq听changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2013 and began capturing Iraqi territory. By January 2014, the group had established a de facto capital in听Raqqa, Syria. 听
Tensions were steadily mounting between听ISIS and al Qaeda.听ISIS leaders repeatedly ignored commands and authority from al Qaeda鈥檚 core leadership. In February 2014, al Qaeda leader Zawahiri officially severed ties with ISIS. 鈥淚SIS isn鈥檛 a branch of al Qaeda and we听have no organizational relationship with it,鈥 Zawahiri听. 鈥淣or is al Qaeda responsible for its actions and behavior.鈥 In Syria, the tensions played out on the battlefield. In , ISIS had begun began听battling the听Nusra听Front 鈥 al Qaeda鈥檚 affiliate in Syria 鈥 for dominance. By听, over 3,000 fighters had been killed in battles between ISIS and the听Nusra听Front.听
In June 2014, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi formally proclaimed the Islamic State carved out of northern Syria and Iraq. It stretched from Aleppo in Syria to听Diyala听in Iraq. ISIS established a basic bureaucracy in its territories, with institutions based on its hardline interpretation of Islam. 听
Although the two groups reportedly听听joining forces in late 2014, Nusra leader Abu Mohammed al Julani听听in 2015 that the groups remained at odds with no immediate plans to reconcile. In a released in September 2015, Zawahiri reiterated that he considered the ISIS caliphate illegitimate. But he also called for between al Qaeda and ISIS "to push back the attack of the enemies of Islam."
Global Reach听
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Al Qaeda: Between 听 jihadists have been trained in al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan since the 1980s, but thousands of fighters have been killed or captured since the United States ramped up counterterrorism operations against the group in the 2000s. But the number of active al Qaeda followers today is difficult to quantify.
The group established a number of regional affiliates in the 2000s. The affiliates, over whom Zawahiri claims authority, :听
- Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, based in Yemen, with around fighters听听
- Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, based in Algeria, with members听
- Al Shabaab, based in Somalia, with at fighters听听
- The Nusra Front, based in Syria, with at least fighters听听
- Jamaah Islamiyah, based in Indonesia, with fewer than fighters听
- Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, based in India, with around fighters听
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Other small jihadist groups have been inspired by al Qaeda鈥檚 ideology since 2001, but not all are formally affiliated. At least 45 jihadist groups worldwide 鈥 32 of which have only been active since 2001 鈥 have some degree of coordination with al Qaeda, according to .听
In the chaos of civil war, al-Qaeda groups in Yemen and Syria expand territory, influence
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ISIS:听 ISIS membership has grown rapidly since 2011, and in late 2014 the Central Intelligence Agency estimated that ISIS had up to fighters. By January 2015, roughly 20,000 of these fighters were thought to have originated from outside Iraq and Syria.听
In 2014, a handful of jihadist groups around the world began aligning with ISIS. By mid-2015, more than had either pledged allegiance to ISIS or declared support for it. These groups :听听
- Ansar Beit al Maqdis, based in Egypt鈥檚 Sinai peninsula听
- The Shura Council of Islamic Youth, based in eastern Libya听
- Jund al Khilafah, an AQIM splinter group based in Algeria听
- Khorasan Province, based in Afghanistan and Pakistan under the leadership of former Taliban commander Hafiz Said Khan听
- Boko Haram, based in Nigeria, with around fighters听
- Sanaa Province, based in Yemen听
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Smaller groups in Jordan, the Caucuses, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Nigeria have also expressed support for ISIS, but Baghdadi has not declared all of them formal ISIS provinces.听Some groups, like Boko Haram and Ansar Beit al Maqdis, are known to have collaborated with al Qaeda in the past, before aligning with ISIS.
U.S. to expand support in Kenya, Somalia for counterterrorism
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