Is Support For The Islamic State From Other Radical Groups Limited To Only Pledges And Endorsements?

Self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr Baghdadi delivers a sermon at a mosque in Iraq. Some have thrown their support behind Islamic State without placing themselves under Baghdadi's leadership. YouTube

Islamic State Seen As Interloper By Larger Militant Groups -- L.A. Times

Since declaring a caliphate, Islamic State has garnered support from more than a dozen Islamist militant groups in the Middle East and Asia, but the dearth of endorsements by many of the largest and most recognizable groups serves to underscore the limits of the newcomer's grand ambition.

The Al Qaeda breakaway group has proved a lightning rod for devout supporters and bitter enemies since entering the Syrian civil war in April 2013. Its sweeping advances into Iraq, gruesome tactics and, most pointedly, its declaration of an ultra-conservative Sunni Muslim state covering the wide portions of eastern Syria and northern Iraq that it now controls have led both to U.S.-led airstrikes and pledges of allegiance by 13 fellow Islamist militant groups.

Others have thrown their support behind Islamic State without placing themselves under the leadership of self-proclaimed caliph Abu Bakr Baghdadi.

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My Comment: Everyone wants to protect their turf .... and I guess radical groups are not immune from this mindset. But if the Islamic State does survive the next few years intact .... and with much of their conquered territory still in their control .... their reputation and support will only increase.