---
title: "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | Middle East"
description: "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was a jihadist group that seized territory in Iraq and Syria, declared a caliphate in 2014, and drew global intervention."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/history-middle-east-since-1800/key-terms/islamic-state-of-iraq-and-the-levant"
type: "key-term"
subject: "History of the Middle East – 1800 to Present"
unit: "Unit 10"
---

# Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | Middle East

## Definition

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, was a jihadist militant group that seized territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. In Middle East history, it shows how civil war, state collapse, and transnational militancy reshaped the region.

## What It Is

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, usually called ISIL, was a jihadist militant group that grew out of the chaos of the Iraq War and later expanded into Syria. In this course, you usually meet it as a major example of how weak states, civil war, and extremist ideology could combine into a regional crisis.

ISIL did not appear out of nowhere. It developed from al-Qaeda in Iraq, a group formed during the early 2000s after the US-led invasion of Iraq. That origin matters because it ties ISIL to the breakdown of security after regime change, sectarian tension inside Iraq, and the wider spread of insurgent violence in the post-2003 Middle East.

The group became far more visible in 2014, when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate and presented the organization as a state rather than just a guerrilla movement. That claim was a huge shift. Instead of only attacking governments, ISIL tried to govern territory, collect revenue, run checkpoints, and project itself as a political and religious authority.

ISIL’s control of land in Iraq and Syria gave it resources, especially through oil sales, looting, taxation, and extortion. It also made the group a magnet for foreign fighters and propaganda. Its media campaigns, executions, and public brutality were not random violence, they were part of a strategy to terrify opponents, attract recruits, and show power.

For Middle East history, ISIL sits at the intersection of several big themes: the Iraq War, the Syrian Civil War, sectarian fragmentation, and international intervention. Airstrikes, local ground forces, and humanitarian aid all became part of the response because the group was not only a battlefield threat, but also a source of displacement, mass violence, and regional instability.

## Why It Matters

ISIL matters because it is one of the clearest examples of how modern Middle Eastern conflicts spread across borders. A crisis that began with the aftermath of the Iraq War did not stay in Iraq, it connected to Syria’s civil war, pulled in foreign fighters, and forced outside powers to respond.

The term also helps you track a shift in militant strategy. ISIL was not just an insurgency that hid in the shadows. It claimed statehood, governed territory, and used modern media to build legitimacy, which makes it useful for comparing rebellion, terrorism, and attempts at political rule.

When you see ISIL in a reading, timeline, or essay prompt, it often signals bigger patterns like state collapse, sectarian conflict, and the limits of foreign intervention. It is a case study in how military victory alone does not solve the deeper political problems that let extremist groups grow in the first place.

## Connections

### Jihadism

ISIL is a jihadist movement, so this term gives you the broader ideological frame behind its goals and messaging. Not every jihadist group works the same way, but ISIL used religious language to justify violence, recruitment, and claims to rule. That makes jihadism the larger category, while ISIL is one particularly extreme example inside it.

### [Caliphate](/history-middle-east-since-1800/key-terms/caliphate)

ISIL’s 2014 declaration of a caliphate is one of the biggest reasons the group became globally known. The term matters because ISIL tried to turn an old Islamic political idea into a modern state project. In essays, this connection helps you explain why the group’s self-presentation was about legitimacy, not just military power.

### [Syrian Civil War](/history-middle-east-since-1800/key-terms/syrian-civil-war)

ISIL expanded rapidly because the Syrian Civil War created space for armed groups to seize territory. The war weakened state control, opened supply lines, and made cross-border militancy easier. When you connect the two, you can show how one conflict fed another instead of treating them as separate events.

### [humanitarian intervention](/history-middle-east-since-1800/key-terms/humanitarian-intervention)

The response to ISIL was not only military. Humanitarian intervention mattered because the group produced mass displacement, terror, and atrocities that required aid for refugees and civilians. This connection helps you distinguish between airstrikes and relief efforts, which are often part of the same international response but do very different jobs.

## On the AP Exam

A timeline ID question might ask you to place ISIL after the Iraq War and during the Syrian Civil War, then explain why 2014 matters. In a short essay or document analysis, you could use the term to show how militant groups exploit weak states and civil war.

If you get a prompt about international responses, bring up airstrikes, local ground forces, and humanitarian aid as different reactions to the same crisis. For a multiple-choice item, look for clues like the declaration of a caliphate, foreign fighters, territorial control, or oil revenue. The best move is usually to connect the group to broader regional instability, not just memorize its name.

## Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant vs ISIS

ISIS and ISIL refer to the same organization, but the acronym changes depending on how you translate the group’s claimed territory. ISIL means Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while ISIS uses Syria instead of Levant. In class materials, either term may appear, so focus on the movement and events, not just the acronym.

## Key Takeaways

- ISIL was a jihadist militant group that emerged from the aftermath of the Iraq War and expanded into Syria.
- Its 2014 caliphate declaration turned it from a militant insurgency into a group claiming statehood and political authority.
- ISIL used extreme violence and propaganda together, because fear and recruitment were both part of its strategy.
- The group’s territorial control let it raise money through oil, taxation, and looting, which helped it sustain operations.
- In Middle East history, ISIL is a major example of how civil war, weak states, and outside intervention can intensify one another.

## FAQs

### What is Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in History of the Middle East?

It was a jihadist militant group that seized territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2014. In Middle East history, it shows how post-invasion instability and civil war created conditions for extremist rule. You usually study it alongside the Iraq War and the Syrian Civil War.

### Is Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant the same as ISIS?

Yes, in most history and news contexts they refer to the same organization. ISIL stands for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, while ISIS uses Syria instead of Levant. If a source uses one or the other, the group is still the same, just named differently.

### Why did ISIL declare a caliphate?

Declaring a caliphate was ISIL’s way of claiming it was not just an insurgent group, but a real state with religious legitimacy. That move helped it recruit fighters and justify control over territory. It also made the organization a bigger target for regional and international intervention.

### How did ISIL fund itself?

ISIL raised money through oil production, taxation, looting, and extortion in areas it controlled. Territorial control mattered because it turned violence into revenue. That is one reason historians treat it as more than a terrorist network, since it also acted like a predatory governing force.

## Related Study Guides

- [10.2 Regional conflicts and international interventions](/history-middle-east-since-1800/unit-10/regional-conflicts-international-interventions/study-guide/rl5wNJpu113LklEM)

## About This Document

Canonical Fiveable pages are available as Markdown at the same path plus `.md`.

- [llms.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms.txt): index of Fiveable's sections and URL patterns
- [llms-full.txt](https://fiveable.me/llms-full.txt): complete subject and unit listing
- [MCP server](https://fiveable.me/mcp): call Fiveable as tools instead of fetching pages (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp`)
- [MCP server for AP teachers](https://fiveable.me/mcp/teachers): a teacher's classes, assignments and AP-rubric grading (`https://fiveable.me/api/mcp/teacher`)

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