War against the Islamic State

A group called the Islamic State took much land.

This made many people feel unsafe. Many lands decided to help.

Many countries joined together. They sent planes and supplies. Some sent soldiers to fight. They worked as a team.

They used planes to hit targets. This helped the group lose its land. Many groups helped in Iraq and Syria.

Other lands also helped in Nigeria and Libya. This made the group much weaker. They could not hold much land anymore.

Today, the group is very small. They do not rule much land now. It took many years of hard work.

In 2014, a group called the Islamic State took much land.

They moved into parts of Iraq and Syria. This caused fear around the world. Many nations decided to act.

Many countries joined together to help. The United States led a large team.

This team used planes to hit targets. They also gave tools and training to local groups. These groups included the Free Syrian Army.

Other nations like France and the United Kingdom also helped with air strikes.

Russia also sent its military to help the Syrian government. In 2015, many Muslim states joined a fight against extremism too. These groups worked to stop the group from getting money.

By 2017, the group lost its land in Iraq. By 2019, they lost their land in Syria. The group became much smaller. They are now a very small force. Some fighters still hide in small areas.

In 2014, a group called the Islamic State began taking over large areas.

They moved quickly into parts of Iraq and Syria. This caused great fear for many people around the world. The group was known for being very violent and unfair. Many nations felt they had to act to stop them. This led to a large global effort to fight back.

Many different countries joined together in several ways. The United States led a large group called a coalition.

This group used planes to hit targets from the sky. They also gave money, tools, and training to local fighters. Some of these local groups were called the Free Syrian Army.

Other nations like the United Kingdom and France also sent planes to help.

Different groups had different goals during the fighting. Russia sent its military to help the Syrian government in 2015. At the same time, many Muslim states formed their own group.

In late 2015, 34 countries joined this group to fight extremism. They wanted to stop the group from getting money. This was a very large and complex effort by many leaders.

There were many important dates and specific details to remember. In August 2014, the U.S. and Iran both began airstrikes in Iraq.

By December 2017, the group had lost almost all its land in Iraq. In March 2019, the group lost its last big area in Syria.

The leader of the group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died in October 2019.

Today, the world is much safer from this group than before. By 2020, the group's ability to hold land was mostly gone.

They are now a much smaller force. Some fighters still hide in small areas as sleeper cells. This means they try to stay quiet and wait. Most of the big battles are over now. The world continues to watch these areas to keep peace.

The war against the Islamic State (IS) was a massive global effort to stop a militant group. In 2014, the Islamic State invaded parts of Iraq and Syria. They took over large amounts of territory very quickly. The group was widely condemned for human rights abuses and executions. This rapid expansion caused fear of the conflict spreading further. Because of these actions, many different nations decided to intervene.

To fight the group, several different coalitions were formed. The most prominent was a U.S.-led coalition known as Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). This group was formally established in October 2014. Its mission was to formalize military actions against the rising threat.

The coalition used a strategy of aerial bombing and providing supplies. They also worked to cut off the group's funding and recruitment. This was a complex way to fight an ideology, not just a physical army.

Many countries participated in these international efforts. In September 2014, the U.S. began working with Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They coordinated aerial bombing campaigns across both Iraq and Syria.

Later, a larger Global Coalition was formed in Brussels. This group included 59 different countries. They aimed to expose the nature of the group and stop their financial resources. Other nations, like France, also led their own specific efforts.

Different nations had different roles and goals in the region. For example, Iran began flying drones and sending soldiers to Iraq in mid-June 2014.

In September 2015, Russia launched its own military intervention in Syria. Russia's goal was to support the Syrian government and its leader, Bashar al-Assad. While Russia claimed to fight IS, most of its bombings targeted the Syrian opposition. This created a complicated situation where different powers were fighting different groups.

On the ground, local militias received vital support from international forces. The U.S. and its allies trained and equipped secular groups. These included the Free Syrian Army and various Kurdish militias.

In 2014, the U.S. sought authorization to train between 5,000 and 10,000 troops. This support helped local fighters defend their own territory.

These local forces were essential in the long fight to reclaim cities.

The war saw significant changes in the group's control over land. By December 2017, IS was estimated to control no territory in Iraq. They only held about 5% of Syrian territory at that time. Iraq declared victory in its fight against the group on December 9, 2017. In March 2019, the group lost its last major territory in Syria after the Battle of Baghuz Fawqani.

This marked the end of the group's ability to hold a large, continuous state.

Even after losing their territory, the group did not disappear entirely. They transitioned into what is known as an insurgency. This means they began using smaller, hidden tactics to cause trouble. In October 2019, the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, died during a U.S. special operations raid. He was later succeeded by Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. By August 2020, it was estimated that over 10,000 fighters remained. These fighters mostly operated as sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq.