It also has a presence in a number of towns close to the Turkish border in the north of the country, and has gained a reputation for brutal rule in the areas that it controls. It was the first provincial capital to fall under rebel control. It took over the city of Al-Reqqa after rebels overran the city in March 2013. Its precise size is unknown, but it is thought to include thousands of fighters, including many foreign jihadists.Īnalysts say non-Syrians constitute a majority of ISIL's elite fighter corps and are disproportionately represented in its leadership.
This can mean the Levant, Syria or even Damascus but in the context of the global jihad it refers to the Levant. The final letter in the acronym ISIL stems from the Arabic word 'al-Sham'. It has since become one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces in Syria. The group was formed in April 2013 and grew out of Al Qaeda's affiliate organisation in Iraq. ISIL (or ISIS) is a pro-Al Qaeda jihadist group that many feared was taking an iron grip over parts of Syria. In February, MailOnline reported how a Syrian girl was stoned to death for opening a Facebook account after a court, under the jurisdiction of ISIL, ruled the act of being a member of the social network deserved to be punished the same way as adultery. In a statement posted on the internet, ISIL said it had carried out the bombings in response to 'murder, torture and displacement' of Sunnis by Shi'ite militias which 'massacred children and women'. Three bombs exploded in succession as people were leaving, reporters at the scene said.Ī roadside bomb went off near the main gate, followed by a suicide car bomb after a few minutes and then a final explosion. The militant group Asaib Ahl Haq (League of the Righteous) was presenting its candidates for elections on April 30 at the rally in eastern Baghdad. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma al-Assad are seen visiting families whose relatives have died fighting for pro-government forces in a photograph posted on the Presidency's official Facebook page
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