ISW

Alex Bilger BACKGROUNDER May 22, 2014 ISIS ANNu Al R EPORTS REv EAl A METRICS -DRIv EN MIl ITARy COMMAND Key tKys:ea • The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has a disciplined military command that reports attacks across operating areas that has operated in this manner for at least two years. This structure allows the organized collecting of statistics that have been published in two consecutive “annual reports” detailing “progress” by ISIS in its Iraqi military campaign. • ISIS’s progress in its campaign to control territory in Iraq is visible in its reported statistics, with shifts in Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) from armed assaults to more selective assassinations/targeting killings and IEDs. The destruction of houses, establishment of checkpoints, and claims to control cities speak directly to control of territory – including in provinces outside of Anbar. • Shifts in TTPs refect this progress; they also refect a careful consideration of the environment in diferent operating areas – not only physical environment (urban versus rural), but also by adversary (ISF, Sahwa, or Ansar al-Islam). • Although news reporting tends to focus on high profle activity by ISIS in Anbar, such as the capture of Fallujah, statistics presented in these reports identify a particular focus of activity by ISIS on Ninewa, indicating a designated main efort.