The Islamic State - Part 2/4 (VICE) torrent

The Islamic State, a hardline Sunni jihadist group that formerly had ties

to al Qaeda, has conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Previously

known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group has

announced their intention to reestablish the caliphate and declared their

leader, the shadowy Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the caliph.

Flush with cash and US weapons seized during recent advances in Iraq, the

Islamic State’s expansion shows no sign of slowing down. In the first week

of August alone, Islamic State fighters have taken over new areas in

northern Iraq, encroaching on Kurdish territory and sending Christians and

other minorities fleeing as reports of massacres emerged.

Elsewhere in territory it has held for some time, the Islamic State has

gone about consolidating power and setting up a government dictated by

Sharia law. While the world may not recognize the Islamic State, in the

Syrian city of Raqqa, the group is already in the process of building a

functioning regime.

VICE News reporter Medyan Dairieh spent three weeks embedded with the

Islamic State, gaining unprecedented access to the group in Iraq and Syria

as the first and only journalist to document its inner workings. In part

one, Dairieh heads to the frontline in Raqqa, where Islamic State fighters

are laying siege to the Syrian Army’s division 17 base.