The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq in 2004. It remained an obscure group for several years because of increased presence of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2007 but it began to reemerge in 2011. Due to growing instability in Iraq and Syria, it was able to carry out large scale attacks and firmly establish its ranks. In 2014, the cities of Raqqa (Syria) and Mosul (Iraq), under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi formed a proto state known as the “Caliphate” of the Islamic State.
