"In late 2014, the jihadist group made its medieval views infamous using modern methods of propaganda. The organization had recently captured significant territory in Syria and Iraq, and claimed religious authority over all Muslims. The internet educated the world on the harsh, simple rules of a caliphate, and the surreal brutality of the beheading video. When the Islamic State lost control of its Middle Eastern territories some five years later, the group largely dropped out of the headlines."
"Two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria by a man the Pentagon says is affiliated with ISIS. A day later, at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, two men opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration, killing 15 and wounding dozens. The men had homemade ISIS flags in their car, and had recently traveled to an area in the Philippines where ISIS-affiliated groups are known to still be active."
ISIS seized large territories in Syria and Iraq around 2014, declaring a caliphate and publicizing brutal propaganda like beheading videos. The group lost those territories about five years later but continued to exist. Recent violent incidents show ISIS-affiliated actors or sympathizers carrying out attacks far from the Middle East. In one case, a man linked to ISIS killed two U.S. soldiers and an interpreter in Syria. In another, attackers at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney used homemade ISIS flags and had traveled to areas with active ISIS-affiliated groups. The group's structure appears able to inspire decentralized or affiliate-driven violence.
Read at The Atlantic
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