The history of the Islamic State

This chapter provides the history of the Islamic State, starting with the group’s beginnings as al-Qaida in Iraq in 2004. It explains how the group’s various leaders, including Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, shaped the organization’s outlook. It also details the feud between al-Qaida and the Islamic State over strategy and tactics, which led to the Islamic State’s separation from al-Qaida’s umbrella. The chapter recounts the group’s decision to declare a caliphate, as well as its various terrorist plots targeting the United States and Europe. It warns that while the Islamic State has lost most of its ability to hold and administer wide swaths of territory, it appears prepared to maintain a capability to disrupt societies in the Middle East and project terrorism globally.