Islamic State

The Islamic State (IS), widely known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh, is a Salafi-jihadist terrorist organization that established a self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Although its territorial proto-state was defeated in 2019, the organization remains active through a decentralized network of regional provinces, affiliated groups, media entities, financial facilitators, and supporters. Prominent branches include Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), Islamic State West Africa Province, Islamic State-Somalia, and Islamic State-Sahel Province. Islamic State seeks to establish an expansionist caliphate through sectarian violence, insurgency, terrorism, and transnational mobilization. It has conducted or inspired attacks against civilians, religious minorities, security forces, government personnel, and public gatherings across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Central Asia, and North America. Its branches and supporters have been linked to major attacks in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the United States. The organization has made extensive use of online propaganda, social-media dissemination, encrypted communications, multilingual outreach, and media products to recruit supporters, radicalize lone actors, coordinate networks, and claim attacks. It has increasingly incorporated generative AI into propaganda, translation, and operational-security guidance, including advice encouraging supporters to reduce detection exposure through locally operated AI models and privacy-enhancing practices. Islamic State-linked networks have also used cryptocurrency fundraising and transfer mechanisms, with ISKP serving as an important transnational financing and media node. Islamic State maintains a substantial external-operations threat through its affiliates and inspired supporters. ISKP has demonstrated particular capability for transnational attack plotting, propaganda production, recruitment among Central Asian diaspora communities, and cryptocurrency-enabled financing. The group and its supporters continue to encourage attacks against Western, Israeli, government, military, religious, and mass-gathering targets.