ISIL
Syrian extremist group
ISIL is an acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a militant jihadist group that seized territory across Syria and Iraq in the mid-2010s.
Also called ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) or simply the Islamic State.
The group declared a caliphate and became notorious for brutal executions and terrorist attacks before losing its territorial holdings.
Islamic successor-led government
- jihadistReligious warfare combatant
- militantAggressive cause supporter
- extremistOne holding fringe views
- insurgentOne who revolts
faction · cell · recruitment · propaganda · affiliate · splinter · network · leadership
Iraqi city on Tigris
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
- strongholdFortified place of defense
occupation · conquest · expansion · border · checkpoint · siege · liberation · recapture
Temporary alliance for action
- airstrikeAircraft-delivered military attack
- droneUnmanned flying machine
- counterterrorismCombating organized political violence
- KurdishIranian language group
intervention · offensive · operation · combat · warfare · IED · suicide · bombing
Ultraconservative Sunni movement
- WahhabismPuritanical Islamic reform doctrine
- fundamentalismStrict adherence to core tenets
- radicalizationShift toward extreme ideology
- extremismIdeology beyond accepted norms
martyrdom · apocalyptic · sectarian · Sunni · Shia · sharia · theocracy · indoctrination
Punitive international restrictions
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- foreignFrom another nation
- fighterOne who engages in combat
returnee · threat · security · policy · diplomacy · intervention · proxy · Russia
caliphate
Islamic successor-led government
- jihadistReligious warfare combatant
- militantAggressive cause supporter
- extremistOne holding fringe views
insurgent · faction · cell · recruitment · propaganda · affiliate · splinter · network · leadership · hierarchy
Mosul
Iraqi city on Tigris
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- IraqMiddle Eastern republic
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
stronghold · occupation · conquest · expansion · border · checkpoint · siege · liberation · recapture · enclave
coalition
Temporary alliance for action
- airstrikeAircraft-delivered military attack
- droneUnmanned flying machine
- counterterrorismCombating organized political violence
Kurdish · intervention · offensive · operation · combat · warfare · IED · suicide · bombing · hostage
Salafism
Ultraconservative Sunni movement
- WahhabismPuritanical Islamic reform doctrine
- fundamentalismStrict adherence to core tenets
- radicalizationShift toward extreme ideology
extremism · martyrdom · apocalyptic · sectarian · Sunni · Shia · sharia · theocracy · indoctrination · propaganda
sanctions
Punitive international restrictions
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- surveillanceSystematic observation of subjects
- foreignFrom another nation
fighter · returnee · threat · security · policy · diplomacy · intervention · proxy · Russia · Turkey
ISILUnited Nations
International governmental organization
constitutional democracy · member state · nation-state · NATO · European Union
Rights-based elected governance
Enlightenment values · secular humanism · secularism · religious pluralism · pluralism
Humanitarian medical aid group
Red Cross · humanitarian organization · human rights defender · UNICEF · peacekeeping force