2004, in response to the American invasion
of Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi establishes al Qaeda in Iraq, calling for all holy Muslim
warriors to resist the foreign invaders. The impact is immediate, as veteran al Qaeda
operatives begin to train raw recruits from all across the world who flood into Iraq and
Afghanistan via neighboring nations. The US responds with a massive manhunt for
al Zarqawi and his senior lieutenants, eliminating a number of them over the coming months. June 7th, 2006, closely monitored by US special
forces acting on intelligence tips from Jordanian and Iraqi sources, Zarqawi is observed entering
a remote farmhouse for a meeting with several of his lieutenants. Seconds later two 500 pound bombs smash into
the building. Zarqawi is observed crawling out of the wreckage,
severely wounded. US troops arrive in time to load Zarqawi on
a stretcher and provide first aid, but he dies an hour later from injuries The strike slows al Qaeda down briefly, and
four months later on October 15th, the Islamic State in Iraq is established. Many al Qaeda fighters join under the banner
of ISI. Early the next year a massive surge in US
combat troops leads to some of the largest post-invasion battles of the campaign, and
ISI suffers severe setbacks. One year later, ISI has lost nearly 75% of
its members, and the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq at last slows to a trickle. On the ropes, in 2009 ISI receives an unexpected
boost when Iraq's Prime Minister begins to target Sunni leadership in an attempt to consolidate
political power. Many Sunnis react by allying themselves with
various factions opposing Maliki's government, with ISI taking the forefront in the fight
against Maliki and his American allies. Seizing the initiative, ISI launches a deadly
suicide bombing campaign across Iraq- repeatedly targeting Baghdad markets and killing hundreds. The attacks net ISI many fresh recruits, eager
to overthrow a prime minister now seen as a 'Saddam in the making'. The US continues a global offensive against
al Qaeda, crippling its ability to conduct terror operations in Iraq and South East Asia. Many warn however that al Qaeda is simply
being absorbed into ISI, and that the US's vengeful focus on the terror group responsible
for the 9/11 attacks makes for good headlines, but is ignoring the rising threat of other
terror groups such as ISI. In April of 2010, a re-focused US military
conducts a joint raid with Iraqi security forces to arrest or eliminate Abu Omgar al-Qurashi
al-Baghdadi, the current leader of ISI. Friendly forces surround a safe house and
storm the complex, killing al-Baghdadi, his son, and ISI's Minister of War Abu Ayyub al-Masri. The arrest of 16 fighters and the seizure
of a treasure trove of documents and computers is an intelligence goldmine for US and Iraqi
forces. (use photo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Omar_al-Baghdadi#/media/File:Abu_Omar_al-Baghdadi.jpg) Shortly after the raid, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi
is named successor and assumes command of ISI. With the start of the Syrian civil war in
2011, Baghdadi senses a golden opportunity and dispatches operatives to Syria in order
to raise and train an army with the purpose of overthrowing the Syrian regime and claiming
the country as an independent Islamic state. The Al-Nusra front is established and begins
to campaign against both government forces and pro-democracy rebels. The US responds to the Syrian civil war with
support for the pro-democracy rebels. However, intelligence operatives warn that
it is very difficult to ascertain which anti-government rebel groups are friendly to the US and which
are friendly to Baghdadi's Nusra front. In a rush to equip the fledgling rebel movement,
many US arms accidentally end up in the hands of ISI operatives. July 2012 marks a year of a reinvigorated
ISI campaign in Iraq. With the Syrian civil war acting as a magnet
for foreign fighters, many are recruited and redirected into Iraq. ISI begins a year-long campaign of freeing
former al Qaeda fighters now imprisoned across the country, The campaign culminates with
a raid on the infamous Abu Ghraib prison and the freeing of 500 al Qaeda fighters, swelling
ISI's ranks. Simultaneously, Baghdadi moves from Iraq to
Syria, announcing the former merger of the Nusra Front and Islamic State in Iraq into
the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. A small number of die-hard al Qaeda loyalists
break off from the fledgling ISIS, but ISIS becomes powerful enough to open up several
new fronts in the Syrian civil war. In Iraq, ISIS's 'Breaking the Walls' campaign
to free former al Qaeda fighters culminates with attacks on Shi'a communities in a bid
to further drive sectarian violence and keep the government and US forces off balance. ISIS fighters now begin a campaign of terror
against members of Iraqi's Security Forces, targeting their homes and families, driving
many to abandon their posts. ISIS firmly controls several northern and
eastern provinces of Iraq, and wide swathes of Syrian territory as well. In December of 2013, ISIS takes Fallujah,
the site of two of the US's largest battles against al Qaeda and its supporters in 2003
and 2004. One month later, ISIS brings in the new year
by successfully fighting off Syrian forces and seizing Raqqa, proclaiming it the capital
of ISIS's new emirate. ISIS now controls vast swathes of eastern
Syria, as well as north and east Iraq. A few weeks later, al Qaeda remnants officially
break ties with ISIS, seeing their two separate goals as irreconcilable. ISIS wishes to establish a fundamentalist
Islamic caliphate, while al Qaeda is still driven to attack the United States and its
allies. ISIS offensives in Iraq finally see the group
take Mosul, giving them control over virtually all of northern Iraq and securing vital supply
lines. ISIS fighters take Badush prison, just northwest
of Mosul, and kill nearly 700 Shi'a prisoners. Two days after ISIS' victory in Mosul, Iran
security forces are deployed into Iraq to assist Iraqi forces in their campaign against
ISIS. Despite being publicly at odds with each other,
back channel attempts are made for cooperation between Iran and the US on tackling ISIS,
but the efforts lead nowhere. Iranian forces aid Iraqi forces in the recapture
of Tikrit, further empowering Iran's influence over Iraq. In late June of 2014, ISIS secures Syria's
Deir Ezzor province, giving them free reign to extend badly needed supply lines through
Syria and into ISIS territory in Iraq. Eight days later, ISIS rebrands itself as
the Islamic State, and declares the establishment of a fundamentalist caliphate extending from
Syria into Iraq. Under pressure from the Iraqi government for
a month, the US begins airstrikes against ISIS on August 7th. Without follow-on ground forces however the
air strikes are largely unsuccessful at slowing down ISIS's rapid spread. By the end of August, ISIS now controls the
entire Syrian province of Raqqa. The US responds a month later by extending
air strikes into Syria, warning Syrian government forces not to interfere with US air operations. The presence of Russian forces backing the
Syrian government complicates the US air war against ISIS. In November, ISIS leaders meet with rival
jihadist group rivals, the Jabbhat al Nusra. Despite an attempt to merge the two forces,
no such merger occurs- however closer cooperation between the two groups is established. January 26th, 2015- after a four month battle,
Kurdish forces with the aid of US and coalition air power and special forces drive out ISIS
forces from the border town of Kobani. Turkey remains as unhappy with the border
town being in control of Kurdish forces as it was with it being in control of ISIS. In May, ISIS forces defeat Iraqi security
forces in Ramadi, placing them less than fifty miles from Baghdad. The US responds with an increase in air strikes,
but again, without follow-on ground forces ISIS remains undeterred. Still, the aggressive bombing campaign makes
the prospect of pushing to Baghdad an incredibly improbable one for ISIS fighters. The next month, ISIS splinter groups in Yemen
claim responsibility for a series of car bombings in the capital. Sensing an opportunity in Yemen similar to
that in Syria, ISIS however meets difficulties as both Iran and Saudi Arabia have strong
stakes in the country. On the same day as ISIS attacks on the Yemeni
capital, Kurdish forces continue their successful campaign to sweep ISIS off the Turkish border,
pushing their fighters out of Tal Abyad. Five days later they take the military base
of Ain Issa. In September, Russia begins an official air
campaign against ISIS- but in reality is heavily targeting US-backed rebels. Despite setbacks along the Turkish border,
ISIS influence expands into northwestern Syria as the group takes six villages near Aleppo. Days later, Iraqi forces successfully recapture
the Baiji oil refinery, a massive source of revenue for ISIS. On October 22nd, a US special operations soldier
is killed conducting a rescue mission of ISIS hostages in northern Iraq. It is the first US casualty in the fight against
ISIS. 20 ISIS fighters are killed in the raid, with
six more captured. In November, Kurdish forces continue their
campaign against ISIS by capturing Sinjar in Iraq. The capture threatens key ISIS supply lines
into Syria. With special forces on the ground en masse,
the US kills ISIS finance minister Abu Saleh on December 10th in an air strike. The US campaign against ISIS' oil infrastructure
is proving devastating for the finances of the group. Three weeks later, Iraqi forces re-take Ramadi
with the aid of US air cover. 2016 begins with progress and a reversal for
the anti-ISIS coalition. Iraqi forces capture the town of Hit, destroying
any hope for an ISIS assault on Baghdad. However, ISIS recaptures several key points
along the Turkish border from the Free Syrian Army. Desperate for oil revenues to fund its war,
ISIS successfully takes the Shaer gas field from the Syrian government. Meanwhile, in Iraq, ISIS forces are on a steady
retreat after a string of Iraqi victories. Iraqi forces with support of US air power
and special forces retake Rutbah and advance towards Fallujah, which has become an ISIS
stronghold. Simultaneously, the US aids Kurdish forces
in an assault on ISIS holdings in north Syria. The group is caught between two pincers and
slowly being squeezed to death. In late June, after a fierce battle Iraq retakes
Fallujah. Two months later, Egypt kills the leader of
the Islamic State in the Sinai Peninsula. From Libya to Iraq, ISIS forces are slowly
being squeezed to death as the coalition targets their financial sectors and recruitment networks. From 2016 to 2019, ISIS forces in Iraq and
Syria are slowly pushed out of strongholds they have held for years. By spring of 2019, ISIS is no longer considered
capable of launching military operations, though many members of the group have gone
underground to perpetuate a war of terror across the Middle East. In 2020 ISIS efforts to recruit and train
in Africa meet with mixed success, but the group launches a violent offensive of terror
across many western African nations. With fresh recruits and the fallout from a
global pandemic, ISIS remains poised for a comeback. Now go watch Is It Safe To Live In Syria,
or click this other video instead!
