Principles of the Islamic State Leaked in the Media


12/29/2015

According to Reuters, Islamic State terroristic organization is a quite complicated bureaucratic system, which includes special management responsible for "war booty", including slaves, as well as exploitation of natural resources, especially oil. Thus, the ISIL develops its external power to better manage the karge space in Iraq, Syria and other territories.



Reuters news agency obtained some documents from among those captured by US forces during a raid in Syria in May. It was then seized a large number of hard drives, flash drives, CD- and DVD-ROM drives and papers. The documents proves that the ISIL managed to organize hierarchical bureaucracy and rather extensive body of law in the form of religious fatwas. According to US officials, these documents help to understand how this particularly small militant group deal with controlling large areas. These documents show creation of a rather complicated bureaucratic system for revenue management - from oil to stolen antiquities - and control over the conquered population.

"They really create it. The level of bureaucracy, organization, divans, committees, "- said Brett H. McGurk, special envoy of US President Barack Obama in the coalition against the ISIL. For example, there is a special divan (office), managing exploitation of natural resources, and selling antiquities. Another divan is in charge of "war booty." According to Amos Hochstein, an official at US State Department specializing in the energy sector, the documents the ISIL’s balanced approach to the oil and gas sector.

According to an expert on the ISIL Ayman al-Tamimi, "Islamic state invest in establishment of statehood and formation of the caliphate’s image more than any other jihadists whatsoever. A formal organization is not only convenient from a practical point of view, but also strengthens the state’s image." According to US authorities, the documents help to find vulnerabilities of the terrorist organization. So, some of the captured documents indicate competition between some officials of the IG and personal encounters.

The Guardian earlier reported that it’s got into possession the ISIL’s internal documents, contained basic principles of recruiting and training new members, expansion of international influence and maintaining authority on already occupied territories.

According to The Guardian, the 24-page document dates back to last year. It imply that, unlike other terrorist organizations, the ISIL’s aims are not only terrorism, but also building a semblance of state with its own vision of economic, political and social policies. It is reported that the document is meant for "training new IS members".