Isis Rebels Declare “Islamic State” in Iraq and Syria
The BBC reports that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria declared on Sunday that it is establishing a caliphate in the areas of Iraq and Syria that it controls. In an audio recording released online, the group said that the new Islamic state would stretch from Aleppo, Syria, to Diyala, Iraq. According to the BBC’s Paul Adams, the establishment of a caliphate—and particularly one that erases colonial borders—is “rich with religious, cultural and historic significance.”