Middle East

The State That ISIS Built

When it's not waging war, ISIS operates a complex bureaucracy that oversees daily life inside its territories.

The State That ISIS Built
ISIS
SMS

How ISIS operates. 

The state (caliphate) is made up of provinces (wilayats). Each province has a governor (wali). Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi runs the caliphate. To his followers, he's known as Caliph Ibrahim. 

Under Baghdadi are two governing bodies: the Sharia (Religious) Council and the Shura (Advisory) Council. Other councils act like departments and oversee everyday life, including education, health care, taxes and even filling potholes.

The Islamic State can govern its "state." But peel away the propaganda, and life isn't so pretty.