Sunni Jihadists Declare Medieval Style Caliphate Straddling Iraq and Syria

A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) holds an Isis flag and a weapon on a street in the city of MosulReuters

Sunni Islamist jihadists, who made massive territorial gains in Iraq and Syria, have said they are establishing an Islamic caliphate extending from Aleppo in northern Syria to Diyala province in eastern Iraq.

The dreaded al-Qaeda offshoot, which waged a long campaign for the establishment of a hardline Sunni rule under the banner of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, has renamed their outfit as the "Islamic State" and named its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the "Caliph", according to a statement the group posted on the internet.

"He is the imam and khalifah (Caliph) for the Muslims everywhere ... Accordingly, the 'Iraq and Sham' (Levant) in the name of the Islamic State is henceforth removed from all official deliberations and communications, and the official name is the Islamic State from the date of this declaration," the group's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani said in the statement.

“"Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day."”

- Isis spokesman

The ultra hardline faction, which sees Shia Muslims as heretics deserving death, has been disowned by the al-Qaeda leadership and is viewed by Sunni leaders in Gulf Arab states as a long-term security threat.

The rebels capitalised on the Iraqi Sunnis' deep sense of alienation under the Shiite-led administration of Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad to push their long-term goal of setting up a medieval style caliphate straddling Iraq and Syria.

They have called upon Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the new ruler, Caliph Ibrahim, and "reject democracy and other garbage from the West".

The statement reveals the group's plan to extend its control over more territories. "The legality of all emirates, groups, states and organisations becomes null by the expansion of the caliph's authority and the arrival of its troops to their areas," the statement said.

"Listen to your caliph and obey him. Support your state, which grows every day."

Meanwhile, the battle for Tikrit raged for the second consecutive day even as the militants appeared to have repelled the security forces' efforts to wrest control of key areas.

The Iraqi army said it was in control of Tikrit University where it raised a government flag. "It is a matter of time before we declare the total clearing of Tikrit," army spokesman Qassim al Moussawi said.