But increasingly, it’s the idea of the Islamic State, rather than the group’s control of any territory, that has taken on greater significance. Nevertheless, the group apparently remains rooted enough that it recently issued its own caliphate dinar currency, embossed with the words Islamic State. A man lights a candle on flowers he placed near the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where 20 hostages were slaughtered on Friday. Former Islamic State fighters now in custody have told investigators that the unit, called EMNI or AMNI, has been active in Europe for more than a year. While the Islamic State had been primarily focused on building and defending its caliphate, the group has long expressed ambitions for attacking targets outside the Middle East.

Source: Washington Post July 03, 2016 22:44 UTC