The ISIS members are the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, which are an unrecognized state and a Jihadist militant group operating in Iraq and Syria.
The group claims spiritual authority over all Muslims and aspires to a macro state which includes many countries in the Middle East: Cyprus, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, and part of Syria.
ISIS is known for its uncompromising clarification of Islam.
The group is in charge for brutal violence against Shia Muslims and Christians.
It is consider that the group stems from a clash inside al-Qaeda, during the civil war in Syria when the group fought against another Jihadist group named Jabhat to Nusra Front, which was very active against Bashar Assad.
In 2014, the relationship with al-Qaeda was interrupted because of the contrast with al-Nusra Front, which is supported by the al-Qaeda leader al-Zawahiri.
In June 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS aka ISIL) and aligned forces started an offensive in the northern area of Iraq against government forces.
Many mercenaries joined with aligned forces for ISIS.
The group created by al-Baghdadi has a great appeal among young foreigners, especially Western youngsters who have converted to Jihad.
The Iraqi military left the areas, and on June 13th, Kurdish forces took control of the oil hub of Kirkuk in the north of the Iraq.
By late June, the Iraqi government had lost control of its border with Jordan and Syria.
The Iraq war:
As usual, it is very interesting to study the dynamics in cyberspace to collect further information about the events and to understand the actors involved and their tactics.
In these weeks, the Iranian government has offered complete support to the Iraqi government. Iran is involving in the operation its special forces Quds Force.
Also, the US is involved in the operations in Iraq, mainly for surveillance activities.
American armed drones currently patrol the skies above Baghdad.
The commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force has already arrived in Baghdad to prepare a counteroffensive.
The Rise of ISIS:
ISIS: The Backbone of International Terrorist Forces
Consider the following points about ISIS:
1. The escalating objective of the strife
Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), the precursor to ISIS, was established in early 2004. It began by recruiting Sunni Muslim extremists, as well as Muslim fundamentalist converts.
2. More extreme and cruel than other terrorist groups
From 2004 to the end of August 2014, the majorities of terrorist attacks against civilians occurred on the borders of Iraq and were initiated by the newly renamed Islamic State.
3. Emerging as the strongest and most influential terrorist group
In 2014, the Islamic State expanded its militant forces from over 10,000 to more than 90,000 (over 50,000 in Syria,
4. Setting an example for other terrorist groups
The sharp rise of the Islamic State in just one year has attracted the attention of terrorist groups around the world.