Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

E41227

Salafi-jihadist group jihadist militant group non-state armed group terrorist organization

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a jihadist militant group and former self-proclaimed caliphate known for its extreme violence, terrorist attacks, and control of territory in Iraq and Syria during the 2010s.

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All labels observed (20)

Label	Occurrences
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant	70
ISIL	12
Islamic State	11
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria canonical	9
Daesh	6
Islamic State of Iraq	5
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)	2
Islamic State (ISIL)	1
Islamic State core territory in Iraq and Syria	1
Islamic State group	1
Islamic State group (ISIS)	1
Islamic State insurgency	1
Islamic State insurgency in Iraq	1
Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham	1
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (historical period)	1
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya	1
Islamic State operations in Iraq and Syria	1
Islamic state	1
self-proclaimed Islamic State caliphate	1
الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T319806 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
Context triple: [Operation Shader, belligerentTarget, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria]

A. Islamic State – Khorasan Province
Islamic State – Khorasan Province is a regional branch of the Islamic State militant group active mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, known for insurgent attacks, terrorism, and opposition to both Western forces and the Taliban.
B. al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq was a Sunni Islamist militant organization that emerged after the 2003 U.S. invasion, becoming one of the most violent insurgent groups in the country and a precursor to the Islamic State (ISIS).
C. al-Qaeda
al-Qaeda is a militant Islamist extremist organization known for orchestrating major terrorist attacks worldwide, including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
D. Hamas
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant and political organization that governs the Gaza Strip and is known for its armed resistance against Israel.
E. Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shiite Islamist political and militant organization backed by Iran, known for its armed resistance against Israel and significant influence in Lebanese politics.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
Target entity description: The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a jihadist militant group and former self-proclaimed caliphate known for its extreme violence, terrorist attacks, and control of territory in Iraq and Syria during the 2010s.

A. Islamic State – Khorasan Province
Islamic State – Khorasan Province is a regional branch of the Islamic State militant group active mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, known for insurgent attacks, terrorism, and opposition to both Western forces and the Taliban.
B. al-Qaeda in Iraq
Al-Qaeda in Iraq was a Sunni Islamist militant organization that emerged after the 2003 U.S. invasion, becoming one of the most violent insurgent groups in the country and a precursor to the Islamic State (ISIS).
C. al-Qaeda
al-Qaeda is a militant Islamist extremist organization known for orchestrating major terrorist attacks worldwide, including the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
D. Hamas
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant and political organization that governs the Gaza Strip and is known for its armed resistance against Israel.
E. Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shiite Islamist political and militant organization backed by Iran, known for its armed resistance against Israel and significant influence in Lebanese politics.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (87)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Salafi-jihadist group ⓘ jihadist militant group ⓘ non-state armed group ⓘ terrorist organization ⓘ
capitalClaimed	Raqqa ⓘ
claimedCaliphate	2014 ⓘ
committedCrime	crimes against humanity ⓘ genocide against Yazidis (as recognized by several bodies) ⓘ war crimes ⓘ
controlledCity	Fallujah ⓘ Mosul ⓘ Raqqa ⓘ Tikrit ⓘ
controlledTerritoryPeak	large areas of eastern Syria ⓘ large areas of northern and western Iraq ⓘ
dateFounded	2013 ⓘ
declaredCaliph	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ⓘ
designatedTerroristBy	Australia ⓘ Canada ⓘ European Union ⓘ Russia ⓘ United Kingdom ⓘ United Nations ⓘ United States ⓘ linked to: United States of America many other countries ⓘ
emergedFrom	Iraqi insurgency (post-2003) ⓘ Syrian Civil War ⓘ
financingMethod	extortion ⓘ kidnapping for ransom ⓘ looting ⓘ oil smuggling ⓘ taxation in controlled areas ⓘ
foundedBy	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (as ISIS/ISIL) ⓘ linked to: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (ideological and organizational predecessor) ⓘ linked to: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
goal	establishment of a caliphate ⓘ implementation of its interpretation of Sharia law ⓘ
hasAbbreviation	Daesh ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria IS ⓘ ISIL ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ISIS ⓘ
hasAlternativeName	Islamic State ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
hasBranch	Islamic State – Khorasan Province ⓘ Islamic State – Libya Province ⓘ Islamic State – Sinai Province ⓘ Islamic State – West Africa Province ⓘ Islamic State – Yemen Province ⓘ
hasEnglishName	Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ⓘ
hasLeader	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (until 2019) ⓘ linked to: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2019–2022) ⓘ Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (2022) ⓘ Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi (reported successor) ⓘ
hasNativeName	الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
hasPredecessor	Al-Qaeda in Iraq ⓘ linked to: al-Qaeda in Iraq Islamic State of Iraq ⓘ linked to: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
ideology	Islamic extremism ⓘ Salafi jihadism ⓘ Salafism ⓘ Wahhabism (claimed) ⓘ linked to: Wahhabism
knownFor	beheadings ⓘ destruction of cultural heritage ⓘ mass killings ⓘ suicide bombings ⓘ terrorist attacks worldwide ⓘ use of social media for recruitment ⓘ
lostLastTerritoryInSyria	2019 ⓘ
operatesIn	Afghanistan ⓘ Iraq ⓘ Libya ⓘ Nigeria ⓘ Sinai Peninsula ⓘ Syria ⓘ
opposedBy	Iran-backed militias ⓘ linked to: Iran-led regional axis Iraqi government ⓘ linked to: Government of Iraq Kurdish forces ⓘ Russia ⓘ Syrian government ⓘ United States-led coalition ⓘ
recruitsFrom	foreign fighters ⓘ local Sunni populations in Iraq and Syria ⓘ
religion	Sunni Islam (claimed) ⓘ linked to: Sunni Islam
territorialPeakYear	2014 ⓘ
usesTactic	guerrilla warfare ⓘ insurgency ⓘ online recruitment ⓘ propaganda ⓘ terrorism ⓘ

How these facts were elicited