Tag: Islamic State

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State (IS), and by its acronym in Arabic of Daesh (Arabic, داعش‎‎, pronounced dāʿish), is a United Nations designated terrorist organisation. It follows an Islamic fundamentalist doctrine of jihad and is in allegience with Al-Qaeda. It originated in 1999 as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (The Organisation of Monotheism and Jihad) before adopting its current name in 2014; and was active in the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) and the Syrian Civil War (2011–present). It is currently led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri). Iraqi intelligence obtained information in 2014 that ISIL had assets worth US$2 billion, although this figure is contested.