History of ISIS

Google Chrome-History of ISIS

ISIS: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria was the name of the group when it captured Mosul in 2014 and became the terrorist juggernaut it is today. They named themselves that to assert their dominance in Syria.
Within the areas they control they have established a reign of terror second to none. They have institutionalized slavery and rape and have carried out genocide. 
ISIS was born out of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. As the Syrian civil war ground on, according to this article ISIS became the first rebel group to capture major cities (Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor). In the summer of 2014, the group had its breakout moment. A few weeks later it rebranded itself as a Caliphate and demanded that all Muslims pledge allegiance. At this point, groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria and Ansar Beit Al Maqdis in Egypt's Sinai began pledging allegiance and flew the black flag of ISIS. They also established presences in half a dozen other countries.
ISIS grew an aggressive social media and viral video strategy that had it engage with sympathizers and glorify violence. It beheaded many of its victims, including U.S. journalist James Foley. It often filmed executions through drowning, burning alive, and shooting. When it captured the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, it institutionalized slavery and rape of the Yazidi minority. In short, it installed a reign of barbaric terror.
ISIS became so powerful by feelings of disenfranchisement, unlikely bedfellows, Syrian chaos, Iraqi chaos, selling oil....and so on.