'Islamic State' Rises in the Middle East

BAGHDAD (Worthy News)-- On the first day of Ramadan, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has declared a new Islamic Caliphate in the areas it now occupies, and has renamed itself as simply, "Islamic State", as it ushers in a new era of international jihad.

The "Islamic State" has called on al-Qaeda and other Sunni jihadist groups operating in the region to immediately pledge their allegiance.

Last week, a local unit of the Al Nusra Front – the official rebel group of al Qaeda in Syria – agreed to join forces with the "Islamic State."

The Caliphate would be established in all areas the "Islamic State" controls in Iraq and Syria. It announced that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, would be the Caliph or head of state. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was released in 2009 from a U.S. detention center in Iraq. The U.S. has a $10 million bounty on his head.

"The time has come for the Ummah [nation] of Mohammed (peace be upon him) to wake up from its sleep, remove the garments of dishonor, and shake off the dust of humiliation and disgrace," Islamic State spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani said in an audio release.

"For the era of lamenting and moaning has gone, and the dawn of honor has emerged anew. The sun of jihad has risen. The glad tidings of good are shining. Triumph looms on the horizon. The signs of victory have appeared," he continued.

"The Shura (council) of the Islamic State met and discussed this issue (of the Caliphate)... The Islamic State decided to establish an Islamic Caliphate and to designate a Caliph for the state of the Muslims," Adnani added.

"The jihadist cleric Baghdadi was designated the Caliph of the Muslims," said Adnani.

The Caliphate would extend from Aleppo (in northern Syria) to Diyala in Iraq.