The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is a jihadist group active in Iraq and Syria.
It is widely known by the acronym ISIS, in which the final "S" stems from the Arabic word "al-Sham". This can mean the Levant, Syria or even Damascus but in the context of the global jihad it refers to the Levant.
Roots in Iraq
When the group was formed in April 2013, it was initially presented as a merger between the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and a Syrian jihadist rebel group, the al-Nusra Front.
However, the announcement of the merger by ISI leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was immediately rejected by the al-Nusra Front.
Two months later, al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri reportedly ordered the merger to be annulled.