Islamist extremist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) has announced that it is establishing an Islamic state, or caliphate, on the territories it controls in Iraq and Syria.

The announcement came in an audio recording posted on the internet on 29 June, which said the Islamic state would extend from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq and would be known as “the Islamic State”.

Isis’ leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, will be head of the new state and will be known as Caliph Ibrahim, it said.

In the recording, the Sunni Muslim militant group also demanded that all Muslims “pledge allegiance” to the new ruler and “reject democracy and other garbage from the West”.

The estalishment of a caliphate ruled by the strict Islamic law has long been a goal of many jihadists and the announcement seeks to solidify Al-Baghdadi’s leadership of worldwide jihad.

Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, a spokesman for the group, called for those living in the area under the group’s control in both countries to swear allegiance to Baghdadi.

Territorial gains

The announcement follows two weeks of territorial gains made by an Isis-led rebel alliance in the northwest of Iraq that have seen it capture several major cities in the country, including Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city, and Tikrit, which is symbolically significant because it was the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

But call for allegiance to the new state will create strains within the rebel alliance, which includes former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime and several Iraqi Sunni tribal groups, who have become disaffected with the Shia-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

While the rebels share a common cause against Al-Maliki’s government, deep tensions exist between the groups and fighting has been reported between the factions.

Significantly, it was reported on 25 June, that after months of clashes, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian offshoot, the al-Nusra Front had issued a loyalty pledge to Isis.

Although both Isis and the Al-Nusra are rooted in al-Qaeda, the two have been rivals for much of the time that Isis has been involved in Syria’s civil war since spring last year. The merger will create further tensions within the rebel alliance.

Baghdad counter offensive

Meanwhile, Iraq’s army launched a counter offensive on 28 June to retake Tikrit from the Isis-led rebels. The BBC reported that Iraqi government jets struck at rebel positions in Tikrit on 29 June and that clashes had broken out in various parts of the city. It aid government troops had pulled back to the nearby town of Dijla after meeting stiff resistance. Insurgents are reported to have shot down a Iraqi Army helicopter and captured the pilot and many casualties have been reported both sides.

“The security forces are advancing from different areas”, Lt-Gen Qassem Atta told journalists. “There are ongoing clashes.”

Baghdad said on 29 June that it had received the first batch of military jets ordered from Russia in order to help fight the militants.

Kurdistan

In a separate development, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 29 June called for the creation of an independent Kurdish state in response to gains made by Sunni insurgents in Iraq.

In a speech in Tel Aviv, he said the Kurds “are a nation of fighters and have proved political commitment and are worthy of independence.”

Kurds have long held aspirations for an independent state but they remain divided between Syria and Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

The international community, including neighbouring Turkey and the US, remain opposed to the breakup of Iraq.