ISIS- How to Fight Back
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is a terrorist group that grew out of Al Queida in 2013. Al-Quieda has since disowned the group, but ISIS remains as one of the main Jihadist groups fighting government in Iraq and Syria. Little is known about the leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He is believed to have been born in 1971, north of Baghdad in Samarra, then joined the insurgency in Irag after the U.S invasion. In 2010, he became the leader of Al Quieda in Iraq which later grew into ISIS. Baghdadi is regarded as a battlefield commander which is appealing to young jihadists.
The goal of Isis is to establish an Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria. To reach this goal, Isis has used multiple demonstrations of military power and progress. In March of 2013, it conquered the Raqqa in Syria- the first to fall under Isis control. Then in January of 2014, it took over Fallujah in western Anbar, capitalising on the tensions between the Sunni and minority and Shia led government. It also seized large sections of Ramadi, the provincial capital, and retains power in many surrounding towns near the Turkish and Syrian border. In June, they conquered Mosul, Iraq’s second city. The US said this posed a threat to the entire region.