Islamic State – Kurdistan Province

In December 2013, there were reports of the Islamic State making a Kurdistan wilayah (province). The purported Kurdistan wilayah was to be under the rule of Kurdish senior militants, who reported directly to the Islamic State's top leaders. The alleged wilayah included Kurdish-majority areas in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran, and the proclamation of the wilayah was publicly announced by an Islamic State senior leader in Nineveh.{{Cite web |title="ولاية كوردستان" إسلامية بقيادة كردية.. آخر ابتكارات "داعش" |url=https://orient-news.net/ar/news_show/6811 |website=Orient Net}} Al-Qaeda, whose ideology is based on the thoughts of Osama bin Laden, had also included Kurdistan as a wilayah within their planned caliphate, which reportedly inspired the Islamic State to form a Kurdistan wilayah as well.{{Cite book |last=Klausen |first=Jytte |title=Western Jihadism: A Thirty-Year History |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-19-887079-1 |location=Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, ox2 6dp, United Kingdom |pages=53–54 |chapter=2: The Founder |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7Q6EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA53}}{{Cite book |last1=J. Tompkins, Crossett |first1=Paul, Chuck |title=Casebook on Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare Volume II: 1962-2009 |last2=Spitaletta, Marshal |first2=Jason, Shana |publisher=United States Army Special Operations Command |year=2012 |location=Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US |pages=533, 544 |chapter=19- Al-Qaeda: 1988-2001 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SPZdWxjMd6cC&pg=PA533}}

Following the Fall of Fallujah,{{Cite web |title=State loses control of Fallujah |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/1/4/iraq-government-loses-control-of-fallujah |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}} and the Fall of Mosul,{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/middleeast/militants-in-mosul.html|title=Sunni Militants Drive Iraqi Army Out of Mosul|first1=Suadad|last1=Al-Salhy|first2=Tim|last2=Arango|work=The New York Times |date=June 10, 2014|via=NYTimes.com}} the Islamic State declared itself a caliphate on 29 June 2014, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the caliph.{{Cite news |date=2014-07-02 |title=Could an ISIS caliphate ever govern the Muslim world? |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-02/could-an-isis-caliphate-ever-govern-the-muslim-world/5559806 |access-date=2024-02-15 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}

During the Siege of Kobanî, an Islamic State fighter of Chechen background stated that the Islamic State planned to make Kurdistan into an official Wilayah (province) within its caliphate, although it was repeatedly delayed due to the Islamic State's failure to capture any significant land in Kurdistan.{{Cite web |title=Chechen IS Militants In Kobani Vow To Save Kurds From Communism |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/under-black-flag-chechen-militants-saving-urds-communism/26688138.html |access-date=2023-11-02 |website=www.rferl.org}} There were various organized cells in Kurdistan, which were connected through their mutual allegiance to the Islamic State. Later, the Kurdistan wilayah was established, and the Islamic State made an official administrative position called the "Wali of Kurdistan".{{Cite web |title=مصادر استخباراتية تكشف للحرة تفاصيل "اصطياد والي العراق" {{!}} الحرة |url=https://www.alhurra.com/iraq/2021/01/28/%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82 |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=www.alhurra.com |language=ar}}

The Kurdistan Brigades was one of the top jihadist groups among Kurds, and it was allied with Jama'at Ansar al-Islam. Jama'at Ansar al-Islam was pro-Al-Qaeda, while the Kurdistan Brigades was an official faction of Al-Qaeda. They were both allied to the Islamic State of Iraq, which was an Al-Qaeda affiliate at the time. Later in 2010, the Kurdistan Brigades disbanded, and the Islamic State of Iraq also disbanded in April 2013.{{Cite web |title=Mapping Militant Organizations, Al Qaeda Kurdish Battalions |url=https://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/print_view/395#note2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118225155/http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/print_view/395#note2 |archive-date=18 November 2015 |access-date=14 February 2016}} The Islamic State was founded on April 7, 2013, as a successor of the Islamic State of Iraq, and it became an enemy of Al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups.{{Cite news |last=Atassi |first=Basma |date=9 June 2013 |title=Qaeda chief annuls Syrian-Iraqi jihad merger |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/6/9/qaeda-chief-annuls-syrian-iraqi-jihad-merger |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221100148/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/6/9/qaeda-chief-annuls-syrian-iraqi-jihad-merger |archive-date=21 December 2020 |work=Al Jazeera}}{{Cite web |last=Lund |first=Aron |date=3 February 2014 |title=A Public Service Announcement From Al-Qaeda |url=https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54411 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729032303/https://carnegie-mec.org/diwan/54411 |archive-date=29 July 2017 |website=Carnegie Middle East Center}} After the Islamic State was founded, Jama'at Ansar al-Islam fiercely fought against them, with both groups exchanging fire for months. The Islamic State had won the conflict. Later, in July 2014, in a surprising move which sparked many questions and controversies, many Jama'at Ansar al-Islam leaders pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State.{{Cite web |title=تساؤلات بعد "بيعة" أنصار الإسلام لتنظيم الدولة |url=https://www.aljazeera.net/news/2014/7/1/%d8%aa%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a4%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%a8%d8%b9%d8%af-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%b9%d8%a9-%d8%a3%d9%86%d8%b5%d8%a7%d8%b1-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a5%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85-%d9%84%d8%aa%d9%86%d8%b8%d9%8a%d9%85 |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=الجزيرة نت |language=ar}} On 29 August 2014, over 50 Jama'at Ansar al-Islam commanders, and high-ranking members, pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Jama'at Ansar al-Islam, despite its significant losses, continued to operate and oppose the Islamic State.{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/09/is-takfiri-caliphate.html#|title=IS disciplines some emirs to avoid losing base – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East|work=Al-Monitor|date=2014-09-02|access-date=2014-09-07|archive-date=2016-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308091757/http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/09/is-takfiri-caliphate.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/184544#.VAxa5xagSSk|title=Jihadist Group Swears Loyalty to Islamic State – Middle East – News|work=Arutz Sheva|date=29 August 2014 |access-date=7 November 2014|archive-date=1 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901053705/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/184544#.VAxa5xagSSk|url-status=live}} In April 2014, a spokesman of the Kurdistan Brigades released a statement in which he criticised the Kurds who joined the Islamic State.{{Cite web |title=ABD-İran geriliminin yeni ismi; El Kaide'nin Kürt grubu |url=https://www.rudaw.net/turkish/kurdistan/140120216 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115165801/https://www.rudaw.net/turkish/kurdistan/140120216 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=2024-06-29 |website=www.rudaw.net}}

On Newroz 2015, the Islamic State released a 24-minute propaganda video in Kurdish. The main speaker in the video was Abu Khattab al-Kurdi, who promised that the Islamic State was going to "bring the Caliphate to Kurdistan". The video ended with three Peshmerga soldiers each being beheaded by a different Kurdish militant.{{Cite web |title=New IS 'Execution' Video Targets Kurds |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/isis-kurds-/26915999.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526033430/https://www.rferl.org/amp/isis-kurds-/26915999.html |archive-date=2022-05-26 |access-date=2022-05-24 |website=www.rferl.org}}

The Islamic State in Kurdistan also claimed responsibility for two bombings in Hasakah, targeting Newroz celebrations, which resulted in as many as 45 people dying.

A Syrian Kurdish activist who lived under the Islamic State for a period of time, in an interview, said that many of the high-ranking Kurds in the Islamic State were Iraqi Kurds, with a significant amount of Iranian Kurds and Turkish Kurds, as well as many Syrian Kurds. He claimed that Syrian Kurds had much less communication with the Islamic State, and therefore were more likely to believe rumours about the Islamic State, but many still joined them. Although he opposed the Islamic State, he refuted claims that the Islamic State was anti-Kurdish, and claimed that they do not differentiate between Kurds and Arabs, and that they do not fight Kurds because they are Kurds, but they fight secular-nationalist Kurdish groups because they are against their religious doctrine.{{Cite web |date=2014-06-24 |title=من هم الجهاديون الأكراد في صفوف "الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام"؟ |url=https://www.france24.com/ar/20140624-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=فرانس 24 / France 24 |language=ar}} In early 2015, the number of Kurds in the Islamic State was estimated to be 3,000.{{Cite web |date=April 1, 2015 |title=أكراد عراقيون يتمردون على قوميتهم ويرفعون راية داعش |url=https://alarab.co.uk/أكراد-عراقيون-يتمردون-على-قوميتهم-ويرفعون-راية-داعش?amp}} They were dubbed the "Kurds of the Caliphate" due to their rejection of their Iraqi, Syrian, Turkish, or Iranian citizenships, as well as their rejection of loyalty to the Kurdish nationalist movement.{{Cite web |date=2015-09-28 |title=كُرد الخلافة: وثائقي بي بي سي عن كتائب الكُرد في تنظيم الدولة الإسلامية |url=https://www.bbc.com/arabic/tvandradio/2015/09/150928_isil_kords_bbc_documentaries |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=BBC News عربي |language=ar}}

Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, in a statement released in September 2014, stated "we do not fight the Kurds because they are Kurds. Rather we fight the disbelievers amongst them, the allies of the crusaders and Jews in their war against the Muslims. As for the Muslim Kurds, they are our people and brothers wherever they may be. We spill our blood to save their blood. The Kurds in the ranks of the Islamic State are many, and they are the toughest of fighters against the disbelievers amongst their people."{{Cite web |last=Orton |first=Kyle |date=September 21, 2014 |title=Islamic State Spokesman Calls For Attacks Against the West |url=https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/25c10970-602e-4bc5-8db7-4bd04eea6402/content |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617200747/https://scholarship.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/25c10970-602e-4bc5-8db7-4bd04eea6402/content |archive-date=June 17, 2024 |pages=13 |access-date=June 17, 2024 |url-status=bot: unknown }}

Mullah Shwan Kurdi joined the Islamic State during its early stages and rose to be a senior member.{{Cite web |title=مەلا شوان کوردی |url=https://www.rudaw.net/sorani/onair/tv/episodes/episode/features_19092015001 |access-date=2021-03-06 |website=www.rudaw.net}} Mullah Shwan appeared in a video in early 2015, in which he interviewed 20 Peshmerga fighters and 1 Iraqi soldier, who were locked in cages.{{Cite web |last=Yan |first=Yousuf Basil,Holly |date=2015-02-22 |title=New ISIS video shows Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers in cages in Iraq |url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/02/22/middleeast/isis-crisis/index.html |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=CNN |language=en}}

Another famous preacher named Ismail Susayi, based in Erbil, also pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State and was arrested in 2018 after he was involved in an attack on governmental offices in Erbil.{{Cite web |title=Mullah confesses to ISIS allegiance, responsibility for Erbil governorate attack |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/020820183-amp |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=www.rudaw.net}} Dastbar Othman, a Kurdish teen from Germany who frequently visited Susayi during his trips to Iraqi Kurdistan, was also arrested after he moved to Iraqi Kurdistan to be an informant for the Islamic State.{{Cite web |title=الحكم بالسجن 6 سنوات على إسماعيل سوسي بتهمة مرتبطة بالإرهاب |url=https://www.rudawarabia.net/arabic/kurdistan/240920194 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=www.rudawarabia.net}}

The Islamic State's influence increased quickly in Adıyaman and Bingöl, in Turkish Kurdistan, with many either leaving to join the Islamic State, or forming Islamic State cells in their cities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/nov/27/turkey.alqaida|title=Suicide bombers are buried in Turkey's breeding ground of extremism | World news | The Guardian|website=amp.theguardian.com|date=27 November 2003 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler/2015/10/151019_ft_adiyaman|title=FT'nin gözüyle Adıyaman: Ölümcül terör hücresini besleyen kent|date=October 19, 2015|website=BBC News Türkçe}} Adıyaman had the deadliest Islamic State cell in all of Turkey, and out of the 21-person cell, 18 were Kurdish natives of Adıyaman, which led to surprise due to how at that time Kurds were associated with the YPG in the media.{{Cite web |title=The Kurdish town that hosts Turkey's deadliest terror cell |url=https://www.ft.com/content/689f9fbe-741b-11e5-bdb1-e6e4767162cc |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=www.ft.com}} Some Kurds in Turkey also preferred living under the Islamic State over living in Turkey, claiming that the Islamic State would not persecute them for being Kurds.Metin Guran, “The Ankara Bombings and the Islamic State’s Turkey Strategy,” CTC Sentinel 8:10 (2015).

The Kurds who were loyal to the Islamic State were crucial during the Siege of Kobanî, in which both the Kurds of Kobanî as well as the Kurds who travelled there, had guided the Islamic State through the terrain and language barriers. While many of the Kurds of Kobanî welcomed the Islamic State out of genuine support, others welcomed them because they hated the PYD to the point they viewed the Islamic State as a better alternative.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/kurds-help-isis-with-terrain-language-in-battle-for-kobani.amp|title=Kurds help ISIS with terrain, language in battle for Kobani | Fox News|website=www.foxnews.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/9kv795/not-all-kurds-are-fighting-against-the-islamic-state-some-are-joining-it|title=Not All Kurds Are Fighting Against the Islamic State — Some Are Joining It|first=Alice|last=Speri|date=November 7, 2014}}{{Cite web |date=2014-11-04 |title=Kurds help Islamic militants in battle for Kobani |url=https://apnews.com/general-news-ab0ed91c83fa42e588246c1f3075e256 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=AP News |language=en}} The Islamic State changed the official name of Kobani from "Ayn al-Arab" to "Ayn al-Islam".Soldiers of End-Times: Assessing the Military Effectiveness of the Islamic State, Ido Levy, 2023, pp. 66, ISBN: 9781538181331, 1538181339

In 2018, an Iranian Kurdish man named Saryas Sadeghi, who worked as an Islamic State recruiter, had blown himself up at the Shrine of Ruhollah Khomeini.{{Cite web |last=Mostajabi |first=Masoud |date=2018-05-17 |title=Iran's Salafi Jihadis |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/iran-s-salafi-jihadis/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=Atlantic Council |language=en-US}} The majority of Kurds in Iran who sympathised with the Islamic State had crossed to Iraqi Kurdistan or to Syria in order to join its Kurdish faction, although a small minority of them crossed into Afghanistan to join the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-27 |title=Salafis in Iranian Kurdistan |url=https://en.radiozamaneh.com/31550/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=Zamaneh Media |language=en-US}}

In 2017, a Kurdish group known as the White Flags emerged.{{cite web |last=Al-awsat |first=Asharq |title=Middle-east Arab News Opinion |url=https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1219846/white-banners-movement-ignites-war-words-among-iraqi-factions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023195949/https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1219846/white-banners-movement-ignites-war-words-among-iraqi-factions |archive-date=23 October 2018 |access-date=4 January 2019 |website=aawsat.com}} American defence and military officials claimed that the White Flags were a union of Kurdish ISIS and Ansar al-Islam remnants, however it was just allegations, as the Kurds of the Islamic State had continued fighting for the Islamic State under sleeper cells. It was also alleged that the White Flags are allied with the Islamic State, however the allegations are baseless as the two groups never interacted. The White Flags have been inactive since 2018. The common consensus was that the White Flags were an Ansar al-Islam faction which attempted to rebrand and failed.{{cite web |date=25 January 2018 |title=Iraqi security forces repel White Flags terrorists in Tuz Khurmatu |url=http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/22911/Iraqi-security-forces-repel-White-Flags-terrorists-in-Tuz-Khurmatu |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003181641/http://www.thebaghdadpost.com/en/story/22911/Iraqi-security-forces-repel-White-Flags-terrorists-in-Tuz-Khurmatu |archive-date=3 October 2018 |access-date=31 January 2018 |work=The Baghdad Post}}

In January 2021, Abu Sadiq, the Wali of Kurdistan, was killed in an ISOF operation which also killed Abu Yasser al-Issawi.{{Cite web |title=تحليل إخباري: خبراء وقادة يعدون مقتل والي العراق نجاحا للقوات العراقية |url=http://arabic.news.cn/2021-01/29/c_139707429.htm |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=arabic.news.cn}}{{Cite web |last=وكالات |date=2021-01-28 |title=العراق يعلن القضاء على نائب زعيم "داعش" {{!}} الشرق للأخبار |url=https://asharq.com/politics/1884/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%A8-%D8%B2%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B4/ |access-date=2024-05-11 |website=Asharq News |language=ar}}

In July 2021, Iraqi ICTS forces collaborated with Kurdish CTG to crackdown on Islamic State cells across the country.{{Cite web |date=July 29, 2021 |title=بينهم قياديون.. العراق يستهدف خلايا "داعش" النائمة |url=https://validate.perfdrive.com/?ssa=727544c5-b6f8-431d-8b40-388d2810160d&ssb=01180213357&ssc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skynewsarabia.com%2Fmiddle-east%2F1454126-%25D8%25A8%25D9%258A%25D9%2586%25D9%2587%25D9%2585-%25D9%2582%25D9%258A%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AF%25D9%258A%25D9%2588%25D9%2586-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25B9%25D8%25B1%25D8%25A7%25D9%2582-%25D9%258A%25D8%25B3%25D8%25AA%25D9%2587%25D8%25AF%25D9%2581-%25D8%25AE%25D9%2584%25D8%25A7%25D9%258A%25D8%25A7-%25D8%25AF%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B9%25D8%25B4-%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2586%25D8%25A7%25D9%258A%25D9%2594%25D9%2585%25D8%25A9&ssi=aecf8c3a-cf43-4489-bc40-c91c75cb71d4&ssk=botmanager_support@radware.com&ssm=20188032676728678102902958613504&ssn=f8d476cc13c82a5cae9ed2c06a2f8349621724072315-61b4-4c17-a3c8d7&sso=346a3b27-8369e5ec3bbb31b395e41e6e8490884eda5285367cf37d63&ssp=05397860331737712814173778734210712&ssq=94812162582415031141325824959879097711258&ssr=MTg1LjE1LjU2LjE=&sst=Mozilla/5.0%20(compatible;%20AMP-Processor/1.0)&ssu=&ssv=&ssw=&ssx=eyJyZCI6InNreW5ld3NhcmFiaWEuY29tIiwiX191em1mIjoiN2Y2MDAwZTUyYzljYTEtOWYwOS00N2VhLWE0ZDItN2E0OWFlZjI3ZDM1MTczNzcyNTgyNDMwNTAtZjIwMjRiY2U0MDZmYTkxMzEwIiwidXpteCI6IjdmOTAwMDM5M2EzMDJkLTdjZGQtNDAwMS1hMWFhLWUwNjA3Mzc5Y2FmZDEtMTczNzcyNTgyNDMwNTAtYzMyOWQ3MzE0ZWFmNDYxODEwIn0=}} Later in December, Kurdish security forces disrupted dozens of Islamic State sleeper cells across Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) confirmed that most Islamic State cell members which they arrested have been Kurds. The cell leader was arrested on December 13, in an operation 72 hours after the arrest of 25 Islamic State members from Halabja, Said Sadiq, Khurmal, Sirwan, and Erbil.{{Cite web |date=2021-12-21 |title=حملة اعتقالات تطال خلايا لـ"داعش" في كردستان العراق |url=https://www.independentarabia.com/node/287531/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%B7/%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%80%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B4-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=اندبندنت عربية |language=ar}}

Two Kurdish sleeper cells of the Islamic State were disrupted in August 2022, and Kurdistan was referred to as a "fertile ground" for the Islamic State ideology.{{Cite web |title="داعش" ما زال قادرا على ضم عناصر من كردستان |url=https://www.independentarabia.com/node/365291/%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A9/%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B4-%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B6%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B5%D8%B1- |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=اندبندنت عربية |language=ar}}

In July 2023, an Islamic State commander who was involved in the Camp Speicher massacre was found and arrested in Sulaymaniyah.{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2023 |title=ISIS leader arrested in Sulaimani for involvement in Speicher Massacre |url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/32067-ISIS-leader-arrested-in-Sulaimani-for-involvement-in-Speicher-Massacre}}

In November 2024, in an Iraq-KRG operation, which included the CTG, Iraqi National Security Service, Iraqi warplanes, and Peshmerga commandos, large raids on the Islamic State were launched in Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, Kirkuk, and Ranya. The command structure of the Islamic State in Kurdistan was destroyed during the raids. The Asayish also proclaimed the "dissolution of the Kurdistan Province" as a result of the raids.{{Cite web |title=ئۆپەراسیۆنەکانی ئاسایشی سلێمانی دەستگیرکردنی گرووپێکی داعش رادەگەیێنێت |url=https://www.rudaw.net/sorani/kurdistan/2411202422 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=www.rudaw.net}}{{Cite web |last=کەناڵ8 |date=2024-11-24 |title=دەزگاى ئاسایش هەڵوەشاندنەوەى ویلایەتى کوردستانى داعشى راگەیاند |url=https://channel8.com/kurdish/97239 |access-date=2024-12-26}}{{Cite web |title=لها ارتباطات خارجية.. الأسايش يفكك شبكة "ولاية كوردستان" وينتقم لشهداء قرداغ وشوان |url=https://shafaq.com/ar/%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D9%80%D9%80%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AA/%D9%84%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%83%D9%83-%D8%B4%D8%A8%D9%83%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%85-%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7-%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%BA-%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86 |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=شفق نيوز |language=ar}}

{{reflist}}{{Islamic State}}

Category:Factions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Category:Kurdish Islamic organisations

Category:Salafi Jihadist groups