The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant abbreviated as ISIS or ISIL, is an insurgent group active in Iraq and Syria. It was established in the early years of the Iraq War, and pledged alleigence to al-Qaeda in 2004, becoming known as al-Qaeda in Iraq. The group then became an umbrella organization of Iraqi insurgent groups on October 15, 2006 under the name of Islamic State of Iraq. It aims to establish a caliphate in the Sunni dominated regions of Iraq, and now expanding this to include Syria. The Islamic State is thought to be responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iraqi civilians as well as members of the Iraqi government and its international allies. Despite significant setbacks to the group during the latter stages of the Iraq War, by late 2012 the group was said to have renewed its strength and more than doubled its number of members to about 2,500. And this number supposedly grew in 2013 due to fighters joining from countries outside the Middle East. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al Qaeda has told ISIS to stop fighting in Syria and disband the Syrian faction. But the Emir(leading commander on field) has ignored this and ISIS is still operating in Syria. In the video also includes footage of Jaysh al-Islam. Jaysh al-Islam(Army of Islam) is formerly known as Liwa al-Islam or the Islam Brigade, is a merger of many rebel groups involved in the Syrian civil war. It operates chiefly in the Damascus neighborhoods of Douma and Eastern Ghouta. Liwa al-Islam was the largest rebel faction located in Damascus. Saudi Arabia is preparing to give the group millions of dollars to "arm and train" the fighters in Jaysh al-Islam. Instructors from Pakistan will reportedly be used to help train the group. Jaysh al-Islam is a driving force behind actions in Damascus and is known to cooperate with Jabhat al-Nusra and conduct joint operations.

• published: 12 Nov 2013
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