ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is an extremist Islamic organization that aims to create an caliphate, or Islamic State,5 in the Middle East. They currently reside in conquered parts of Syria and Iraq, and rule over 6.5 million people. ISIS took enough territory to claim itself a caliphate in 2014. That same year, a U.S. led coalition started using airstrikes to discourage any further expansion by the group. Although responsible for many terrorist attacks across the globe, its infamous attacks include the Paris attacks and the destruction of a Russian passenger jet. Although its influence is large, ISIS is currently being pushed back by various forces in Syria and Iraq.
ISIS began as a part of Al Qaeda in Iraq(AQI), a group created by Abu al-Zarqawi. They affiliated themselves with Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. In 2006, Their first major project was to create a civil war by attacking major Shia holdings and holy cities. Later that same year, Abu al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike. Abu Ayyub al-Masri took his place as the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Masri later renamed AQI to the Islamic State of Iraq or ISI. Later, they would be renamed to ISIS.
ISI hoped to gain control of the Levant, or the countries in the Middle East bordering the eastern Mediterranean. Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed in a U.S. led attack in 2010, however, leading to the rise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to power. ISI continued expanding its numbers by breaking known terrorists out of prisons and publicizing their effort. In 2013, ISI attempted to adsorb the Al-Nusra front in Syria, which would further expanding its power and land holdings. However, there was major backlash in Syria by the Al-Nusra front. Conflict grew between the two until February 2014, when Al-Qaeda publicly declared that ISIS was no longer an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
ISIS started a major campaign later in 2014 to overthrow Iraq’s government. Through this effort they gained vehicles, extra fighters from prison breaks, and more weapons. They also left over a million refugees fleeing from their homes, flooding into other countries. ISIS’s land holdings grew as they conquered areas of Iraq, including oil fields which help fuel their war campaign. During this time, they began to push across the border into Syria to increase its land holdings to 34,000 square miles. They still reside in these areas, although discouraged by airstrikes and various offensives by its enemies. Over 3 million refugees have fled from the Middle East in search of safety.
The United States's actions to remove the group from power include arming groups against ISIS, airstrikes, and deploying special forces. Without any intervention from western powers and the escalation of the Syrian civil war, ISIS has thrived. What the United States is doing now is reasonable, but intelligence should have signaled that ISIS's power was growing. In order to prevent a situation like this happening again, western powers should increase their intelligence forces in the Middle East.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/
http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/aqi_isil.html
http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811
ISIS began as a part of Al Qaeda in Iraq(AQI), a group created by Abu al-Zarqawi. They affiliated themselves with Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. In 2006, Their first major project was to create a civil war by attacking major Shia holdings and holy cities. Later that same year, Abu al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike. Abu Ayyub al-Masri took his place as the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Masri later renamed AQI to the Islamic State of Iraq or ISI. Later, they would be renamed to ISIS.
ISI hoped to gain control of the Levant, or the countries in the Middle East bordering the eastern Mediterranean. Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed in a U.S. led attack in 2010, however, leading to the rise of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to power. ISI continued expanding its numbers by breaking known terrorists out of prisons and publicizing their effort. In 2013, ISI attempted to adsorb the Al-Nusra front in Syria, which would further expanding its power and land holdings. However, there was major backlash in Syria by the Al-Nusra front. Conflict grew between the two until February 2014, when Al-Qaeda publicly declared that ISIS was no longer an Al-Qaeda affiliate.
ISIS started a major campaign later in 2014 to overthrow Iraq’s government. Through this effort they gained vehicles, extra fighters from prison breaks, and more weapons. They also left over a million refugees fleeing from their homes, flooding into other countries. ISIS’s land holdings grew as they conquered areas of Iraq, including oil fields which help fuel their war campaign. During this time, they began to push across the border into Syria to increase its land holdings to 34,000 square miles. They still reside in these areas, although discouraged by airstrikes and various offensives by its enemies. Over 3 million refugees have fled from the Middle East in search of safety.
The United States's actions to remove the group from power include arming groups against ISIS, airstrikes, and deploying special forces. Without any intervention from western powers and the escalation of the Syrian civil war, ISIS has thrived. What the United States is doing now is reasonable, but intelligence should have signaled that ISIS's power was growing. In order to prevent a situation like this happening again, western powers should increase their intelligence forces in the Middle East.
Sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/
http://www.nctc.gov/site/groups/aqi_isil.html
http://www.cfr.org/iraq/islamic-state/p14811