BEIRUT — An al-Qaeda splinter group that has seized a huge chunk of northern Iraq commands as many as 10,000 fighters and has steadily been consolidating its hold on northeastern Syria.
Its pursuit of an Islamic state that would straddle the two countries has thrown it into bloody conflict with both governments, Kurdish militias and Syrian rebels of all stripes. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,
is led by an ambitious Iraqi militant known by his nom de guerre of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. After taking the reins in 2010, he successfully transformed what had been an umbrella organization focused mainly on Iraq into a transnational military force.
“In Iraq, they portray themselves as the protectors of the Sunni community,” said Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on militant factions in Syria and Iraq. “In Syria, they are much more open about their ideology and project.”
