ISIS raises flag at Turkish border

Tulin Daloglu

Jun 30, 2014

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa June 29, 2014. The offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "Caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on jihadist websites said on Sunday. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader — An Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) loyalist waves an ISIS flag in Raqqa, June 29, 2014. — REUTERS

A day after declaring itself an Islamic caliphate and calling on Islamic factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), now calling itself the Islamic State, raised its flag June 30 in the town of Tell Abyad, Syria, just across the border from Akcakale, Turkey.

That flag, however, has been up and down there since January 2014, with ISIS trading control with the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The ISIS flag had been removed from Tell Abyad just two weeks ago.