ISIS History and Timeline

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Written By Al Fusaic

By Sabrina Pecorelli

Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software - Canva

Amazingly Simple Graphic Design Software - Canva

At its peak, the Islamic State was considered one of the most notorious terrorist organizations in the world, conquering unprecedented amounts of territory and controlling more than 8 million people in its self-proclaimed ‘caliphate’. The organization acted inherently like a state, collecting garbage and taxes as well as selling oil to fund its activities.

In 2019, after an extensive global counterterrorism campaign, ISIS was declared defeated. However, the organization’s deeply rooted ideology has proven incredibly resilient and is currently making a comeback in Syria’s eastern desert. 

It is imperative to understand the Islamic State’s timeline and structure in order to tailor counterterrorism strategies to its organization.

Read through these interactive slideshows to learn about the Islamic State from its birth to its peak, to its demise and its current resurgence. 

References and Resources:

  1. ABC News. (2020, February 4). Pentagon report says al-Baghdadi death had little impact on ISIS leadership and operations. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pentagon-report-al-baghdadi-death-impact-isis-leadership/story?id=68755044

  2. Al-Qaeda in Iraq. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/al-Qaeda-in-Iraq#ref1112104

  3. Another mass surrender of IS fighters as US-backed forces advance. (2019, March 14). Voice of America. https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/another-mass-surrender-fighters-us-backed-forces-advance

  4. Benoit Faucon in London and Ahmed Al Omran in Abu Dhabi. (2017, January 19). Islamic State steps up oil and gas sales to Assad regime. WSJ. https://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-steps-up-oil-and-gas-sales-to-assad-regime-1484835563

  5. Blowback: How ISIS was created by the U.S. invasion of Iraq. (2018, January 29). The Intercept. https://theintercept.com/2018/01/29/isis-iraq-war-islamic-state-blowback/

  6. Botelho, G. (2015, December 2). Russia, Turkey trade accusations over who bought oil from ISIS. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/europe/syria-turkey-russia-warplane-tensions

  7. Botelho, G. (2015, December 2). Russia, Turkey trade accusations over who bought oil from ISIS. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/europe/syria-turkey-russia-warplane-tensions

  8. Botelho, G. (2015, December 2). Russia, Turkey trade accusations over who bought oil from ISIS. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/europe/syria-turkey-russia-warplane-tensions

  9. Byman, D. L. (2016, July 28). Comparing al Qaeda and ISIS: Different goals, different targets. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/testimonies/comparing-al-qaeda-and-isis-different-goals-different-targets/

  10. Callimachi, R. (2018, April 4). The ISIS files: When terrorists run city hall. The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/04/world/middleeast/isis-documents-mosul-iraq.html

  11. Hamid, S. (2019, November 1). What America never understood about ISIS. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/11/01/what-america-never-understood-about-isis/

  12. Hamid, S. (2019, November 1). What America never understood about ISIS. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/11/01/what-america-never-understood-about-isis/

  13. How ISIS runs a city. (2015, February 26). Time. https://time.com/3720063/isis-government-raqqa-mosul/

  14. How ISIS works. (2014, September 16). The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/09/16/world/middleeast/how-isis-works.html

  15. (n.d.). hsdl.orgland Security Digital Library at NPS. https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=796005

  16. Inside the rise and reign of ISIS's leader. (2017, June 16). FRONTLINE. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/inside-the-rise-and-reign-of-isiss-leader/

  17. ISIS founding member confirmed by spies as group's new leader. (2020, January 21). the Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/20/isis-leader-confirmed-amir-mohammed-abdul-rahman-al-mawli-al-salbi

  18. ISIS leadership: Who's who in 'fluid' Islamic State structure of power. (2015, July 2). International Business Times UK. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/isis-leadership-whos-who-fluid-islamic-state-structure-power-1509014

  19. The Islamic State: How its leadership is organized. (2017, June 13). The Wall Street Journal - Breaking News, Business, Financial & Economic News, World News and Video. https://www.wsj.com/video/the-islamic-state-how-its-leadership-is-organized/4F4FA0B8-9C07-4D09-BF1D-5761162A0D87.html

  20. Kemp, T. (2016, August 12). Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is the man who founded ISIS. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/11/who-founded-isis-abu-musb-al-zarqawi-started-the-terror-group.html

  21. List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL. (2014, September 25). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved March 25, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_linked_to_ISIL

  22. Lister, T., Sanchez, R., Bixler, M., O'Key, S., Hogenmiller, M., & Tawfeeq, M. (2018, February 12). ISIS: 143 attacks in 29 countries have killed 2,043. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/world/mapping-isis-attacks-around-the-world/index.html

  23. Pecorelli, S., Lorwa, L., Cleary, M., Valencillo, T., & Rivera, J. (2019, November). Impact Analysis “The Challenges Foreign Fighters Present to the Security of States in North Africa and the Sahel”. Welcome | Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. https://gordoninstitute.fiu.edu/diplomacy-lab/diplab-foreign-fighters-formatted.pdf

  24. Perper, R. (2018, April 6). ISIS made millions from taxes that it then used to run garbage collections and even a DMV. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/islamic-state-used-taxes-to-grow-power-and-offer-services-2018-4

  25. The structure of the Islamic State (ISIS). (2014, September 8). Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. https://jcpa.org/structure-of-the-islamic-state/

  26. Sunnis vs. shiites: A brief explainer. (2016, January 5). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/what-are-differences-between-sunni-shiite-muslims-n489951

  27. Thompson, N., & Shubert, A. (2015, January 14). The anatomy of ISIS: How the 'Islamic State' is run, from oil to beheadings. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/world/meast/isis-syria-iraq-hierarchy/index.html

  28. Timeline: The rise, spread, and fall of the Islamic State. (n.d.). Wilson Center. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/timeline-the-rise-spread-and-fall-the-islamic-state

  29. Timeline: The rise, spread, and fall of the Islamic State. (n.d.). Wilson Center. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/timeline-the-rise-spread-and-fall-the-islamic-state

  30. Wedeman, B., & Said-Moorhouse, L. (2019, March 23). ISIS has lost its final stronghold in Syria, the Syrian democratic forces says. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/23/middleeast/isis-caliphate-end-intl/index.html

  31. Who was Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi? (2019, October 28). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50200392

Al Fusaic
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