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Forming of ISIS
ISIS as It is today began in 2004 although it dates back earlier to the early 1990s. ISIS started as a sub division of the group AL-Qaeda. At the time ISIS was called Al-Qaeda in Iraq or AQI for short. -
Al-Zarqawi dies
Zarqawi the leader of AQI at the time, was killed in a targeted killing on June 7, 2006, while attending a meeting in an isolated safe house.
Later on, it was confirmed that it was Zarqawi's body. It was identified by facial recognition, fingerprinting, known scars and tattoos. They also announced the death of one of his key lieutenants, spiritual adviser Sheik Abd-Al-Rahman. -
The Iraq War troop Surge of 2007
Dozens of AQI (ISIS) members being captured or killed. During the summer and fall AQI lost its secure military bases in Al Anbar province and the Baghdad area. Later on AQI changes name to Islamic State of Iraq or ISI for short. -
A New Leader
On 16 May 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed the new leader of ISI. He appointed former Iraqi military and Intelligence Service officers. These men, nearly all of whom had spent time imprisoned by the US military at Camp Bucca, came to make up about one third of Baghdadi's top 25 commanders. -
The Release of the Audio Statement
In July 2012, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement online announcing that the group was returning to former strongholds that they had once inhabited up until 2008. He declared the start of a new offensive in Iraq called Breaking the Walls. It was aimed at freeing members of the group held in Iraqi prisons. -
The Merger Disagreement
On 8 April 2013, al-Baghdadi released an audio statement in which he announced that the al-Nusra Front had been established, financed, and supported by ISI,[260] and that the two groups were merging under the name Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham. However, the leaders of al-Nusra and al-Qaeda respectively, rejected the merger. Later on in June, al-Baghdadi released an audio message rejecting al-Zawahiri's ruling and declaring that the merger was going ahead. -
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Breaks free
In October 2013, al-Zawahiri ordered the disbanding of ISIL, putting al-Nusra Front in charge of jihadist efforts in Syria. Al-Baghdadi rejected al-Zawahiri's order, and his group continued to operate in Syria. In February 2014, after an eight-month power struggle, al-Qaeda publicly disavowed any relations with ISIL. -
The Proclamation
On 29 June 2014, ISIL proclaimed itself to be a worldwide caliphate. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was named the caliph. After this change they were named The Islamic State. -
Terrorist Attacks Begin
The first major terrorist attack outside of Syria and Iraq was the 2015 Sousse attacks. On 26 June 2015, a mass shooting occurred at the tourist resort at Port El Kantaoui. Thirty-Eight people died and 30 of them were English. -
The Manchester Bombings
The Manchester Arena bombing was an Islamist extremist inspired terror attack in Manchester, United Kingdom. Twenty-three people were killed, including the attacker, and 250 were injured. Police later said they believed the bomber, Salman Ramadan Abedi, had largely acted alone but that others had been aware of his plans. -
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