Wikipedia

List of Islamist quasi-states and rival governments

This is a list of Islamist quasi-states and rival governments. It includes both Sunni and Shia Islamist states.

Current

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Former

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Name Date Capital Now part of Map References
Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq 2006–2013 Baqubah Iraq
[42]
Al-Qaeda in Iraq (Islamic Republic of Qaim) 2004–2006 Unknown (2004–2005)
Al-Qa'im (2005)
Baqubah (2006)		 Iraq [43][44][45][46][47][48]
Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad 2004 Fallujah Iraq [49][50][51][52][53][54][55]
Islamic Emirate of Azawad 2012–2013 Timbuktu (proclaimed)
Gao (provisional)		 Mali
[6]
Ansar Dine 2012–2017 Unknown
[56]
Republic of Logone 2015–2021 Kaga-Bandoro Central African Republic
[57][58][59][60][61]
Union for Peace in the Central African Republic 2018 Unknown [62][63]
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham 2017 Idlib Syria [citation needed]
Al-Nusra Front[f] 2012–2017 Unknown [6]
Fatah al-Islam 2007 Nahr El-Bared refugee camp Lebanon
Islamic Emirate of Waziristan 2006 Unknown Pakistan [64]
Islamic Emirate of Rafah 2009 Rafah Palestine [65]
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Chechen Republic of Ichkeria 1991–2000 Grozny Russia
[citation needed]
Islamic Emirate of Kurdistan[g] 2001–2003 Byara Iraq
[66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74]
Islamic Emirate of Gao[h] (MOJWA and Al-Mourabitoun) 2012–circa. 2015 Gao Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (de facto) [77][78][79][80]
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya 1983–1997 Luuq Somalia [81]
Allied Democratic Forces[i] 2015–2019 Unknown Democratic Republic of Congo
[82]
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan 1996–2001 Kabul (1996–2001)
Kandahar (2001)		 Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
[citation needed]
Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan 1980s–1990s Bashgal Valley Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [83][84][85][86]
Islamic Emirate of Kunar 1989–1991 Asadabad Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
[6]
Islamic Emirate of Badakhshan 1996 Badakhstan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
[87]
Emirate of Imbaba 1992 Imbaba Egypt [6]
Armed Islamic Group of Algeria 1993–1995 Unknown Algeria
Islamic Salvation Army Circa. 1995–Circa. 1996 Unknown Algeria [88]
Junbish-e Milli 1992–1997 Unknown Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [89]
Jamiat-e Islami 1982–1989 Unknown Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan [90]
Ansar al-Sharia in Libya 2012–2017 Unknown Government of National Stability (de facto) [citation needed]
Syrian Salvation Government 2017–2024 Idlib Syria [91]
Islamic Djamaat of Dagestan 1998–1999 Kadar Russia [92]
Caucasus Emirate 2007–Circa. 2009 Unknown Russia [93][6]
Free Aceh Movement 1979–2005 Somewhere in Aceh Indonesia [94]
Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia[j] 1958–1961 Padang Indonesia
[96][97][98]
Islamic State of Indonesia 1949–1962 Unknown Indonesia [99]

Small groups that held territory

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During the Syrian Civil War, the groups Northern Storm Brigade, Al-Tawhid Brigade, Martyrs of Islam Brigade, Ajnad al-Sham and Jaysh al-Nukhba controlled some areas, however their control was ephemeral and insignificant.[110] In Lebanon, Ansar Allah held areas for a period in 2007.[111][112]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ From 2009 until 2012, part of Boko Haram.
  2. ↑ From 2013 to 2014 called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
  3. ↑ Between 2015 and 2016 Boko Haram was part of the Islamic State – West Africa Province.
  4. ↑ Not a Islamist quasi-state but administered by a somebody supportive of Islamism.
  5. ↑ De facto independent since then.
  6. ↑ Renamed "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham" from 28 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Part of the Kurdistan Region (1994–2001).
  8. ↑ Also called Islamic State of Gao.[75][76]
  9. ↑ when the Allied Democratic Forces were a unified group.
  10. ↑ Ruled by Sjafruddin Prawiranegara a Muslim, who was member of the Masyumi Party, which embraced Pan-Islamism.[95]

References

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  1. ↑ Brown, Nathan J. (June 2012). "Gaza five years on: Hamas settles in". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
  2. ↑ Burton, Guy (2012). "Hamas and its Vision of Development". Third World Quarterly. 33 (3): 525–540. doi:10.1080/01436597.2012.657491. ISSN 0143-6597.
  3. ↑ "Hamas' Gaza chief begins regional tour, to meet Ahmadinejad, Gulf leaders". Al Arabiya News. 30 January 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Avnery, Uri (14 April 2011). "Israel Must Recognize Hamas' Government in Gaza". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "Hamas delivers free meals to Gaza's poor". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lia, Brynjar (August 2015). "Understanding Jihadi Proto-States" (PDF). Perspectives on Terrorism. 9 (4). ISSN 2334-3745. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  7. ↑ "ANALYSIS: Ansaru's comeback in Nigeria deepens terror threat". Premium Times. 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  8. ↑ "Ansaru publicly returns to Nigeria" Archived 17 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine. FDD’s Long War Journal. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Nasiru, Jemilat (2020-01-19). "Ansaru militant group claims responsibility for attack on Yobe emir". TheCable. Archived from the original on 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  10. ↑ Asadu, Chinedu (2020-02-06). "Police on Kaduna raid: Two Ansaru commanders were killed but we lost an inspector". TheCable. Archived from the original on 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  11. ↑ "Military kills Ansaru terrorists in Kaduna air raids". Ripples Nigeria. 2020-08-15. Archived from the original on 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  12. ↑ Adepegba, Adelani (2020-08-15). "NAF jets bomb Ansaru terrorists in Kaduna". The Punch. Archived from the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  13. ↑ "The incursion of Boko Haram, other terrorists". Daily Trust. 2021-05-24. Archived from the original on 2021-06-19. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  14. ↑ Fairfield, Hannah; Wallace, Tim; Watkins, Derek (21 May 2015). "How ISIS Expands". The New York Times. New York. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  15. ↑ "The caliphate cracks". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  16. ↑ "The Islamic State: More than a Terrorist Group?". E-International Relations. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-20.
  17. ↑ "Profile: al Houthi Movement". Critical Threats. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
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  19. ↑ "Yemen's Forever War: The Houthi Rebellion | The Washington Institute". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  20. ↑ "Yemen: Treatment of Sunni Muslims by Houthis in areas under Houthi control (2014 – September 2017)". Refworld. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  21. ↑ al-Haj, Ahmed (6 February 2015). "Yemen's Shiite rebels announce forcefull takeover of country after a coupe on the sitting president Hadi". The Columbian. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  22. ↑ "Houthi militia installs 'presidential council' to run Yemen". Middle East Eye. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Nordland, Rob (6 February 2015). "Yemen Rebels Say They Will Form New Government". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  24. ↑ "SRC hands over authority to SPC". SabaNet - Yemen News Agency. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  25. ↑ "Insurgents take control of Yemeni city". Financial Times. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  26. ↑ Yemen Post Staff (27 March 2011). "Houthi Group Appoints Arms Dealer as Governor of Sa'ada province". Yemen Post. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  27. ↑ The Muslim News Yemen after Saleh: A future fraught with violence Archived August 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Friday 27 May 2011.
  28. ↑ Higazi, Adam (2020), "The structure and organization of Boko Haram up to 2015", in Apard, Élodie (ed.), Transnational Islam : Circulation of religious Ideas, Actors and Practices between Niger and Nigeria, WAPOSO Series, Ibadan: IFRA-Nigeria, pp. 201–204, ISBN 979-10-92312-56-0, retrieved 2025-09-05
  29. ↑ Afzal, Madiha (7 May 2020). "From "Western education is forbidden" to the world's deadliest terrorist group: Education and Boko Haram in Nigeria" (PDF). Brookings.
  30. ↑ "The world's centre of terrorism has shifted to the Sahel". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  31. ↑ Chason, Rachel; Ramos, Adrián Blanco (2025-06-08). "A powerful, opaque al-Qaeda affiliate is rampaging across West Africa". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  32. ↑ Jay, Lee (2026-04-24). "Sahel Region Remains in Crisis (Mali)". Archived from the original on 2026-04-25.
  33. ↑ Footnotes to History: G to J Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Footnotes to History
  34. ↑ Somalia Assessment, September 1999 Country Information and Policy Unit, Immigration & Nationality Directorate, Home Office, UK
  35. ↑ Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia, 11 Oct 2001, Document S/2001/963 United Nations Security Council
  36. ↑ "Jubbaland suspends cooperation with federal government, citing constitutional violations". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  37. ↑ "Somali Court Issues Arrest Warrant For Jubaland Leader". Agence France Presse (AFP). 2024-11-27. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  38. ↑ "Somalia's Jubbaland government suspends ties with federal administration". Reuters. 2024-11-28. Retrieved 2025-07-28.
  39. ↑ "Tit-for-tat arrest warrants escalate Somalia-Jubaland political crisis". www.hiiraan.com. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  40. ↑ 𝕯𝖗. 𝐗𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐆 (2024-11-27). "Jubaland Regional Court Issues Arrest Warrant for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Charges of Treason". Idil News. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
  41. ↑ "Au Mali, djihadistes et indépendantistes accentuent la pression sur la junte : « A partir d'aujourd'hui, nous bloquons Bamako »". Le Monde (in French). 2026-04-29.
  42. ↑ Khan, Nadeem Elias; Whiteside, Craig (16 December 2021). "State Accompli: The Political Consolidation of the Islamic State Prior to the Caliphate" (PDF). U.S. Naval War College: 10.
  43. ↑ "Tal Afar: Al Qaeda's Town". CBS News. March 10, 2006.
  44. ↑ "Fact Sheet: Strategy for Victory: Clear, Hold, and Build". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov.
  45. ↑ "Iraq war: Why the battle for Tal Afar matters". August 25, 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  46. ↑ Carroll, Rory; Mahdi, Omer (August 21, 2005). "Under US noses, brutal insurgents rule Sunni citadel" – via The Guardian.
  47. ↑ Gordon, Michael R.; Trainor, Bernard E. (2012). The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush to Barack Obama. Pantheon. ISBN 978-0307377227.
  48. ↑ Ellen Knickmeyer (2005-05-11). "They Came Here to Die". www.washingtonpost.com.
  49. ↑ Chandrasekaran, Rajiv (10 March 2007), Imperial Life in the Emerald City, London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, p. 305, ISBN 978-0-7475-9168-9
  50. ↑ "Terrorists flee Tal Afar, Multi-National Forces move in to assist local residents". DVIDS. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  51. ↑ "Nearly 20 Killed In Fighting In Tal Afar, Al-Fallujah". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2008-04-08. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  52. ↑ "Bloody battle in northern Iraq". Al Jazeera. 9 September 2004. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  53. ↑ The fight for Samarra: full-spectrum operations in modern warfare - Military Review
  54. ↑ Ware, Michael (3 October 2004). "Appointment in Samarra". Time. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  55. ↑ "Image Commemorating 'Umar Hadid". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Retrieved 2026-04-19.
  56. ↑ "Communiqué N°14-04-04-2012- Fin des Opérations Militaires" (in French). National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad. 4 April 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  57. ↑ "Central African Republic: January 2016 Monthly Forecast: Security Council Report". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  58. ↑ "Rebel declares new state in Central African Republic". Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  59. ↑ "Central African Republic: CAR Rebel Leader Declares Autonomous State". 16 December 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017 – via AllAfrica.
  60. ↑ Marboua, Hippolyte (2015-12-16). "Central African Republic rebels declare autonomous state in north". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  61. ↑ "Inside Ndele, FPRC's 'peaceful' parallel state". Al Jazeera. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  62. ↑ "Midterm report of the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic extended pursuant to Security Council resolution 2399" (PDF). 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 3, 2023.
  63. ↑ Letter dated 14 December 2018 from the Panel of Experts on the Central African Republic established pursuant to resolution 2399 (2018) addressed to the President of the Security Council. 14 December 2018. p. 121. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023.
  64. ↑ Sayers, Eric (2007-02-16). "The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan and the Bajaur Tribal Region: The Strategic Threat of Terrorist Sanctuaries". Center for Security Policy. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
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  69. ↑ A Modern History of the Kurds, David McDowall, 2021, pp. 592, ISBN 978-0-7556-0078-6
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  74. ↑ Ram, Sunil (April 2003). "The Enemy of My Enemy: The odd link between Ansar al-Islam, Iraq and Iran" (PDF). The Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2004. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
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  76. ↑ https://apnews.com/article/mali-islamic-state-alqaida-violence-un-e841e4d5835c7fa01605e8fd1ea03fcf
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  82. ↑ Daniel Fahey (19 February 2015). "New insights on Congo's Islamist rebels". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  83. ↑ Robert D. Crews, Amin Tarzi. The Taliban and the crisis of Afghanistan. Harvard University Press, 2008. ISBN 9780674026902. Pg 338.
  84. ↑ Christopher Heffelfinger; Michael Scheuer (2005). Unmasking terror: a global review of terrorist activities. Jamestown Foundation. ISBN 978-0-9675009-5-9. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  85. ↑ Guide to Islamist Movements: Volume 2, Barry M. Rubin, 2010, pp. 189, ISBN 9780765641380
  86. ↑ Christine Noelle-Karimi; Conrad Schetter; Reinhard Schlagintweit (2001). Afghanistan: A Country Without a State? (Schriftenreihe Der Mediothek Fur Afghanistan, Bd. 2). IKO. ISBN 978-3889396280.
  87. ↑ Organizations at War in Afghanistan and Beyond, Abdulkader H. Sinno, 2011, pp. 192, ISBN 978-0-8014-5806-4
  88. ↑ "Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  89. ↑ "Rashid Dostum: The treacherous general". Independent.co.uk. December 2001.
  90. ↑ Defence Journal. Ikram ul-Majeed Sehgal, 2006, Volume 9-10 Collected Issues 12(9)-12 (10) page 47.
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  92. ↑ Ware, Robert Bruce; Kisriev, Enver (2010). Dagestan – Russian Hegemony and Islamic Resistance in the North Caucasus. M.E.Sharpe. ISBN 978-0-7656-2028-6.
  93. ↑ Imarat Kavkaz / Caucasus Emirate Archived 2016-09-15 at the Wayback Machine, IHS.com, 2014
  94. ↑ "Indonesia - Aceh Reintegration and Livelihood Survey 2008". microdata.worldbank.org. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  95. ↑ Calasso, Giovanna; Lancioni, Giuliano, eds. (31 July 2017). Dār Al-islām / Dār Al-ḥarb Territories, People, Identities. Brill. p. 239. ISBN 9789004331037. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  96. ↑ Audrey R. Kahin and George McT. Kahin, Subversion as Foreign Policy: The secret Eisenhower and Dulles debacle in Indonesia, p. 143
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  100. ↑ "Syrian Rebel Leader Keeps Order On The Border". NPR. 4 December 2012. Archived from the original on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  101. ↑ Dick, Marlin (17 December 2013). "FSA alliance pushes back against Islamic Front". Daily Star. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  102. ↑ "Special Report: Northern Storm and the Situation in Azaz (Syria)". MERIA Journal. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  103. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=S6eKCwAAQBAJ
  104. ↑ "Syrian rebels push Qaeda affiliate from northwest stronghold". Chicago Tribune (Reuters). 17 January 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014.
  105. ↑ "With fewer than 1,000 remaining, Darayya rebels 'abandoned' as regime advances". Syria:direct. 11 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  106. ↑ Эвакуация раненого солдата под Дамаском Archived 10 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  107. ↑ Fadel, Leith (5 August 2016). "Syrian Army seizes large chunks of strategic west Damascus town". Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  108. ↑ "Syria Darayya: Deal reached to evacuate besieged town". bbc.com. 26 August 2016.
  109. ↑ "Syrian rebels Jaysh al-Tahrir holds Isis fighters in secret prison 'internment' camp". IB Times. 13 October 2016.
  110. ↑ [100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109]
  111. ↑ "Sheikh Abu Ayoub is the military commander of Ansar Allah (Followers of God), a Palestinian Islamist group which controls two of Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp's border checkpoints. | The New Humanitarian". The New Humanitarian. 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2025-06-29.
  112. ↑ Al buss camp (2016-07-19). "✳أنصار الله _المقاومة الاسلامية تلتقي عزام الأحمد✳". مخيم البص (in Arabic). Retrieved 2025-07-30.
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