The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has ravaged the Middle East region and is designated a terrorist group by several nations. With the Islamists placing large portions of Iraq and Syria under its control, it is now seen as a very valid threat. Hip-Hop Wired takes a look at 10 essential facts about ISIL and ISIS.
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Photo: Public Domain
ISIS/ISIL originally began in 1999 under the name, Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and started by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The group changed names and membership sveral times, finally settling on the current names they use today around 2004.
ISIS/ISIL has declared parts of Iraq and Syria as their own. On this map, the white areas are the only portions the group has not claimed.
The roots of ISIS/ISIL run deep, with the originating group pledging allegiance to Osama bin-Laden’s Al-Qaeda also in 2004 under the name Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn, or Al-Qaeda In Iraq (AQI).
ISIS/ISIL fashions itself as the foremost Muslim authority in the world, and as with any jihad, has declared war on anyone who does not embrace Islam as their religion. In the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq where the group occupies, there are no practicing Christians as being so is punishable by death.
Among the many victims of the ISIS/ISIL assault, Syrian Kurds in the north have suffered greatly. Syrian rebels and Kurdish forces battling the islamists are gaining assistance from the U.S. military.
Despite U.S. airstrikes and other disruptive military intervention from national forces, ISIS/ISIL is well-equipped despite their small but growing number. After seizing Mosul this summer, the group has assets worth around $2,000,000,000 and a vast armory of weapons.
ISIS/ISIL has managed to recruit outside nationals to its ranks, including British and American fighters.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the “caliph” or head of the ISIS/ISIL group. One of the world’s most wanted men, he has made few public appearances. Under his leadership, the group earns about $3,00,000 per day by way of its oil and gas holdings. This gives the group a potentially frightening advantage in arming itself against the U.S. and other forces.
