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Roots of Isis
Isis first began to emerge in 2004, when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi split from Osama bin Laden's al Queda and formed his own "al Queda of Iraq." The goal of this newly founded group was to remove Western occupation and replace it with a Sunni Islamist regime. -
Islamic State of Iraq
In 2006, Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. airstrike. Taking his place was Abu Ayyub al Masri, who renamed this group the "Islamic State of Iraq." Masri led ISI until 2010 when he was killed in a US-Iraqi operation. -
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
When the civil war in Syria started, ISI battled the Syrian forces and gained ground throughout the region. Because of this new expansion into Syria, in 2013 the group officially renamed themselves “ISIS,” which stands for “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria." -
Isis Declares Itself a Caliphate
In 2014, ISIS took control of Falluja, Mosul, and Tikrit in Iraq, and declared itself a caliphate. A caliphate is a state ruled by a caliph, who is a direct descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, and a leader of the entire Muslim community. -
Al Qaeda Splits
In August 2014, Isis fighters attacked a town in Iraq called Yazidis, where they killed hundreds of people, sold women into slavery, and forced religious conversions. This attack interested the media and following this attack al Queda broke ties with Isis. -
2015 Attacks
In February Isis released footage Jordanian military pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh being burned alive in a cage. In November Isis bombed and attacked Paris, killing 130 people. In December in San Bernardino, a married couple shot and killed fourteen people. -
2016 Isis Attacks
Isis bombed Brussels Airport in Belgium in March, killing 32 people. In June, Isis gunman killed 49 people in a gay night club in Orlando Florida. 86 people were mowed down by a truck French Riveria in July. In December a man drove a truck into a Christmas store in Berlin, killing himself and 11 others.
