The rise and fall of ISIL

A chronology of ISIL’s quick territorial victories and defeats in Iraq and Syria.

Rise and Fall of ISIL without Text Outside Image

Four years ago, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) began a series of lightning advances across Iraq and Syria, taking advantage of regional instability to make rapid territorial gains. Since then, there have been hundreds of battles, gruesome killings and a US-led campaign of air attacks. Today, ISIL is a group in decline, driven out of its urban strongholds as local and international forces reclaim key territory.

Al Jazeera examines the key events in ISIL’s rise and fall.

Source: Al Jazeera