ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. ISIS originally came from Abu al-Zarqawi establishing al Qaeda in Iraq in 1999. Abu al-Zarqawi was killed in a US strike, so Abu Ayyub al-Masri took his place as leader. When the Islamic State in Iraq was established, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi became the leader. The point of ISIS was trying to establish an independent Islamic state in the region. ISIS is known for killing dozens of people at a time, having public executions, and more. ISIS receives its main revenue from oil production. For the past decade, the United States has been more involved in the actions of ISIS. There has been a constant fight going on between the two, and it has only become more dangerous.

On October 17, 2017, Raqqa was left in ruins. The U.S. military coalition and others led more than 4,450 airstrikes. These airstrikes destroyed the buildings and roads. Raqqa was where the “caliphate” for ISIS was established and held. This idea of a “caliphate” established an attempt for leadership over a Muslim movement in destroying the national boundaries. In the fall of Raqqa, the caliphate also ended with it. With this ending, it means ISIS is not in charge of any major city in Iraq or Syria. This is huge news and brings the idea of complete defeat over ISIS a lot closer.

Although the caliphate has been destroyed, this does not mean that ISIS, as a whole, will end. The group was not wiped out in its entirety. ISIS will continue to attack civilians and fight opposing forces for years to come. The fight between the United States and ISIS has not ended. ISIS is still expected to continue their terrorist actions across the world. The victory in Raqqa is still being celebrated, but the outcome for ISIS is still unknown.