Indus Falcon
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What exactly is the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham?
JUN 12, 2014
A lightning offensive by the Sunni group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, in the past three days has sparked the biggest crisis Iraq has faced since it plunged into sectarian violence following the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003. Here’s a look at the group at the center of the crisis.
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – The Short Answer - WSJ
JUN 12, 2014
A lightning offensive by the Sunni group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, in the past three days has sparked the biggest crisis Iraq has faced since it plunged into sectarian violence following the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003. Here’s a look at the group at the center of the crisis.
- What is ISIS?
ISIS is the successor organization to al Qaeda in Iraq, started by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi a few years before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country. AQI pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda in 2004, and its Sunni fighters devoted themselves to attacking American forces and terrorizing the Shiite-led government in Baghdad that took over after Saddam Hussein’s ouster.
- What is the group’s goal?
ISIS and its Iraqi leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, primarily aims to establish a radical Sunni Islamist state in the Levant region of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus and Southern Turkey.
- How did the situation swell out of control?
The latest violence began in late December when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered security forces to disperse an anti-Maliki protest camp in Ramadi that he claimed was an incubator for al Qaeda. Thousands of well-armed Islamist militants rose up in early January in the surrounding province of Anbar and seized Ramadi, the provincial capital, and Fallujah, a restive city less than an hour from Baghdad. ISIS’s massive, sophisticated weapons arsenal suggested that the group had been importing weapons from Syria, said one Iraqi Army general.
- What is Iraq doing to stop ISIS's advancement?
Iran has deployed some of its Revolutionary Guard forces to fight the militants and has helped Iraqi troops win back control of most of Tikrit. They are also helping guard Baghdad and the cities of Najaf and Karbala. Separately, Iraq is requesting the accelerated delivery of pledged U.S. military support, particularly Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters and surveillance equipment, to help push back the insurgent fighters.
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham – The Short Answer - WSJ
