ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
ISIS declared a caliphate on June 29, 2014, after capturing Mosul, Iraq. Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself caliph from Mosul's Great Mosque. ISIS controlled territory the size of the UK across Iraq and Syria, imposing brutal rule.
What happened
ISIS carried out genocide against Yazidis, mass executions, and terrorist attacks in Paris (2015), Brussels (2016), and elsewhere. A U.S.-led coalition began airstrikes in August 2014. The caliphate was defeated territorially in 2019.
Why it still matters
The declaration marked the peak of jihadist territorial control and demonstrated the consequences of power vacuums in Iraq and Syria.
Background
A coalition fought them for years.