In the space of a year, Isis has radically reshaped the Middle East. Emerging from the chaos of weakened states, it has turned the lives of ordinary Syrians and Iraqis upside down, while its brutality has shocked the wider world. In the 12 months since Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself the leader of the caliphate which styled itself the Islamic State, the jihadis have expanded to cover ever more territory across the Levant, with militant groups the world over claiming allegiance. Guardian Australia journalist Michael Safi looks back on a tumultuous first year
Image: a Shia fighter flashes a victory sign in front of a mural showing Isis’s flag in Tikrit, Iraq
