The commander who strode in sat facing the room, his leg splayed out so that everyone could see the pistol holstered to his thigh. For a moment, the only sounds were the hurried prayers of the civil servants mumbling under their breath.<\/p>\n
Their fears proved unfounded. Though he spoke in a menacing tone, the commander had a surprisingly tame request: Resume your jobs immediately, he told them. A sign-in sheet would be placed at the entrance to each department. Those who failed to show up would be punished.<\/p>\n
Meetings like this one occurred throughout the territory controlled by the Islamic State in 2014. Soon municipal employees were back fixing potholes, painting crosswalks, repairing power lines and overseeing payroll.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had no choice but to go back to work,\u201d said Mr. Hamoud. \u201cWe did the same job as before. Except we were now serving a terrorist group.\u201d<\/p>\n
The disheveled fighters who burst out of the desert more than three years ago founded a state that was acknowledged by no one except themselves. And yet for nearly three years, the Islamic State controlled a stretch of land that at one point was\u00a0the size of Britain<\/a>, with a\u00a0population estimated at 12 million people<\/a>. At its peak, it included a 100-mile coastline in Libya, a section of Nigeria\u2019s lawless forests and a city in the Philippines, as well as colonies in at least 13 other countries. By far the largest city under their rule was Mosul.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe #ISIS<\/a> Files\u201d – excellent reporting from @rcallimachi<\/a>.<\/p>\n Interestingly though, there\u2019s not much new here, as this sounds awfully similar to ISI between 2006-2010, with some improvements – a warning for the future\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/LE5G0ajipL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yH5sW2bOcL<\/a><\/p>\n — Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) April 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n