Divisions within the Global Jihad

... resulted from a comprehensive and multifaceted process, incorporating a variety of factors, ranging from the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the political vacuum that followed to Iran’s growing influence in the region. Islamic State occupies leading ... ... external factors. However, recent developments on the Syrian front, where Islamic State is conquering territories controlled by Jabhat al-Nusra and other Islamic groups , the outbreak of armed confrontation between supporters of the Caliphate and the Taliban in Afghanistan, as well as the intensified conflict between Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda leader ...