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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi converted by Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi
A non-religious Abu Musab al-Zarqawi traveled to Afghanistan for the first time. There he met Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a substantial leader in the violent fundamentalist Islamic movement. Maqdisi successfully recruited Zarqawi and converted him to the cause. -
Zarqawi meets Osama bin Laden
Zarqawi first meets Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. They were involved in seperate organizations and bin Laden viewed Zarqawi as being untrustworthy for his extremist ideology. -
Zarqawi establishes the Organization of Monotheism and Jihad
Zarqawi returned to Jordan and established the jihadist group called the Organization of Monotheism and Jihad (JTWJ). The group was minuscule compared to Al-Qaeda. -
USA invaded Iraq
US forces invaded the Iraqi state and left it in chaos. Jihadist groups saw the weak Iraqi government as an opportunity and began moving in. -
JTWJ succeeds in Iraq
JTWJ grew to power in Iraq and got the attention of Al-Qaeda. -
Zarqawi establishes AQI
Zarqawi pledged his allegiance with Al-Qaeda, gaining access to money and soldiers. Zarqawi then renamed JTWJ to Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). -
Zarqawi killed
Zarqawi was losing popularity from attacks on Shia Muslims and was killed by a US airstrike. -
Abu Ayyub al-Masri takes over AQI
After the death of Abu Masab al-Zarqawi, Abu Ayyub al-Masri became the new leader of the organization. -
Masri renames AQI to the Islamic State in Iraq
Following many assassinations of AQI members done by Sunni extremists, Masri renamed AQI to the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI), in hopes to regain support from some of the locals. -
Death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri
US-Iraqi forces surrounded Masri during and invasion, who then blew himself up. -
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi named leader
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi named the new leader of ISI following the death of Masri. -
ISI becomes ISIS
ISI merged with an Al-Qaeda group in Syria and renamed the organization to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. -
ISIS gains control on Raqqa
After days of fighting, ISIS forces took over the city of Raqqa. This city became their proclaimed capital. -
Al-Qaeda cuts ties with ISIS
Al-Qaeda was upset with ISIS expanding into Syria and decided that they were no longer on the same team. Al-Qaeda was also in disagreement with ISIS's extremist ways. -
Establishment of Caliphate
ISIS established a Caliphate which claimed ISIS had power over Muslims all over the world and established Baghdadi as the new successor to the prophet Muhammad. -
Barack Obama begins airstrikes against ISIS
President Barack Obama begins airstrikes on ISIS in Iraq to prevent further advancement. -
ISIS begins beheading people
ISIS starts streaming videos of ISIS members cutting of the heads of reporters in attempts to stop the US airstrikes. -
ISIS moves into Libya
ISIS forces move into Libya. The location of Libya created tension and vulnerability in Europe. -
US launches more intense airstrikes
US teamed up with some Arab allies and launched a large amount of airstrikes at ISIS in Syria. -
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani calls for "homegrown terrorism"
It an attempt to spread the ISIS terrorism to the United States, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, made a public speech which called for any ISIS supporters around the world should join the fight. This is called "homegrown terrorism" and aims to create an image of ISIS being everywhere. -
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ISIS continues terroristic attacks throughout the world
ISIS continues terrorism throughout the world. The leaders of ISIS hope that the number of attacks increases. They do not plan on stopping. -
Nigerian terror group joins ISIS
A rebel terrorist group in Nigeria announced their allegiance with ISIS and joined the cause. This expanded the ISIS regime into west Africa. -
ISIS attempts to hit USA
Two ISIS terrorists attempted a shooting in Texas. They failed... -
ISIS occupied half of Syria
ISIS officially occupied half of Syria's territory after capturing the town of al-Tanf. -
ISIS hits Saudi Arabia
ISIS suicide bomber killed 20 people at a Mosque in Saudi Arabia, marking it the first ISIS attack on Saudi Arabian soil.
