By Simon Gorbaty ’19, Staff Writer

Looking back at 2014, it is important to reflect on major events that have occurred throughout the year. Many notable headlines of 2014 revolved around the radical Islamist organization known as ISIS. Although most people worldwide are aware of the threat of ISIS and its presence in the Middle East, not everyone is familiar with how it started, what its members want, and what they have done so far to achieve their goals.

Here are some facts on ISIS:

Who are they?

• ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. They are also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), but the group calls itself Islamic State (IS).
• Members believe in an extreme form of Sunni Islam.

Where did they come from?

• IS formed from al-Qaeda in 2006 as the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI).
• The current leader of IS, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, came to power in 2010.
• By 2013, ISI was launching attacks in Iraq, and set up the al-Nusra group to join the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
• In April 2013, the two groups merged into ISIS.

What have they achieved recently?

• In December of 2013, the group took control of the central city of Fallujah, Iraq.
• In June 2014, ISIS occupied the key city of Mosul, and continued on its ferocious campaign, overrunning large swathes of Syria and Iraq.
• ISIS is believed to have over 30,000 fighters in its ranks.
• They have committed numerous criminal acts to impose their beliefs, including mass shootings, crucifixions, and beheadings of men and women who opposed their inhumane laws, as well as the beheadings of journalists and aid workers from the U.S. and Great Britain.

How have they captured so much territory and what is their goal?

• According to the BBC, IS is the wealthiest militant group in the world, with two billion dollars in cash and assets.
• They had received financial support from people within the Arab Gulf States, as well as from the oil and gas fields they occupy, taxation, tolls, smuggling, taking money by force, kidnapping, and money from banks they control.
• Thus, the militants have access to various small and heavy arms, including truck-mounted machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft weaponry,  and armored vehicles.
• The ultimate goal of IS is to secure a caliphate –– a state ruled by a single religious leader called a caliph –– in the Middle East, similar to the one established by Muhammad in the 7th century A.D.

Source: BBC News http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29052144