978-1-4222-3442-6

14

I RAQ

as well as to support the Iraqi gov- ernment, which America had helped bring to power less than a decade earlier. The U.S. provided humanitarian aid to the Kurds, who were taking refuge from ISIL on Mount Sinjar, and launched airstrikes against ISIL positions. Despite the U.S. intervention, in October 2014 some 10,000 ISIL troops nearly reached Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, before finally being halted by the Iraqi Army, supported by U.S. airstrikes. The ISIL threat brought inter- national attention to Iraq, a coun- try that for many years has seemed to be on the verge of dis- integration. Iraq as an independ-

The flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is a black banner that includes the shaha- da, an important Muslim statement of belief. The circle design is said to be the “seal of Muhammad,” the chief prophet of Islam. Other Islamist terror organizations have adopted a black banner as well.

ent political entity, or nation-state, was formed after the end of World War I. The country’s borders include three groups of people who have often been at odds throughout their history: Shiite

Words to Understand in This Chapter

caliph—an Arabic word meaning “successor,” and traditionally denoting the successor to Muhammad as head of the Islamic community. industrialized—having many manufacturing and industrial businesses.