The extremist group that 's taken over a large swath of western and northern Iraq announced on Sunday the establishment of a `` caliphate , '' an Islamic state stretching across the region , and said it would now be known as the Islamic State rather than the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria . The announcement was made in a newly released audio message and written statement purportedly from the official spokesman of ISIS , Abu Mohammed al-Adnani al-Shami . He said `` Al-Baghdadi '' is the emir of the caliphate , using his real name Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al Samarrai , but who is more commonly known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . The group said its flag flies from the Aleppo province in Syria to Diyala province in Iraq . The murky battle for Tikrit . Iraq 's government is touting military offensive to recapture Saddam Hussein 's hometown of Tikrit from extremists , with some officials taking to state-run television over the weekend to declare the army had defeated the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria . But those who live in the city nestled along the Tigris River , about 140 kilometers ( about 87 miles ) northwest of Baghdad , told a different story on Sunday . `` There are no Iraqi troops here , '' one woman told CNN by telephone from Tikrit . The only presence , at least in her neighborhood , is the `` Islamic state , '' she said , referring to ISIS . The woman in Tikrit , who asked not to be identified over concerns for her safety , said she could hear the sounds of a fierce battle , in the form of shelling , being carried out by both sides . A video posted on YouTube appears to support her assertion . In it , a man gives a tour of the city to show , he says , that there were no Iraqi security forces on the streets on Saturday -- the day Iraqi forces said they launched the offensive . On the video , the man can be heard repeatedly saying `` June 28 , 2014 , '' presumably to offer evidence of the date . The man says `` Thank God , Tikrit is safe and still in the hand of tribesmen and not troops of 'al-Haliki , ' '' a derogatory reference to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that refers to his death . The video also shows a concrete blast wall erected around government buildings being taken down . Witnesses inside and outside of Tikrit said Iraqi forces were heavily shelling the city . At the same time , state-run Iraqi TV showed video footage of large plumes of black smoke billowing from the city . Another video , released by the Ministry of Defense , showed Iraqi troops and convoys loaded with heavy weapons driving through the desert . The video was titled `` cleansing the road between Samarra and Tikrit . '' CNN can not independently confirm the claims . Key question in Iraq right now : Who controls Tikrit ? Clashes south of Kirkuk . Fighting erupted Sunday between Shiite militiamen and Sunni militants believed to be ISIS fighters in a village about 30 kilometers south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk , police officials told CNN . About 100 Shiite militants backed by Turkmen fighters attacked the village of al-Basheer , which was seized two weeks ago by ISIS fighters , the officials said . At least 12 Shiite militia fighters were killed and eight others were wounded in the fighting that lasted for several hours . Sporadic clashes continued to be reported into the evening . Al-Basheer has a mixed population of Shiite Turkmen and Sunnis . Fighting in Jalawla . Members of the Kurdish fighting force -- known as Peshmerga -- battled ISIS fighters near the town of Jalawla , about 85 kilometers ( 53 miles ) north of Baghdad , on Sunday , police officials told CNN . The fighting was still ongoing , the officials said . Jalawla is under the control of the Peshmerga , but ISIS controls al-Saadiya about 15 kilometers ( 9.3 miles ) to the south . ISIS attacks Iraqi military base , again . ISIS fighters and allied militants launched an attack Sunday on a military base south of Baghdad , the second such attack in as many days , two officials with the Ministry of Interior told CNN . The attack came amid reports that a roadside bomb blast hit a vehicle carrying the Iraqi army commander for the area , killing two of his guards and wounding four others , the officials said . The commander survived , they said . The attack occurred at the military base Jurf al-Sakhar , on the outskirts of Hilla , where an infantry brigade is based . At least seven soldiers , mostly new recruits , were killed and 15 were wounded , the officials said . The fighting is ongoing , they said . Atta : Operations underway across Iraq . Iraq 's military spokesman , Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta , said in televised briefing that multiple operations were under way across Iraq that resulted in the killing of 142 ISIS fighters . The Iraqi flag , he said , was hoisted above government offices in a number of cities and towns near Tikrit , where security forces are continuing operations to retake the city . The advance on the Tikrit is continuing , with troops worked to disarm `` hundreds '' of roadside bombs and booby traps that have been planted by fighters , he said . CNN can not independently confirm the claims .
We 're now calling ourselves the Islamic State , the group known as ISIS proclaims Sunday . Kurdish government touts offensive to retake the Islamic State ; residents ask so where are the troops ? Iraqi militants backed by Turkmen fighters fight ISIS south of oil-rich Kirkuk . ISIS fighters battle ISIS little 9.3 miles north of Baghdad .