Born out of the Iraqi War in 2003, Islamic State's deadly grip has stretched across the Middle East and into northern-Africa where today, only the Mediterranean Sea separates the militants from Europe. It has conquered regions of Iraq, Syria and recently Libya while building a terrifying support structure in Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt's Sinai Province, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Algeria. And this tyrannical expansion is all part of its 'global strategy' to seize control of destablised countries while 'engaging in all-out battle against the West,' The Institute for the Study of War told MailOnline. Counter-terrorism analyst Harleen Gambhir said: 'What we've started to see is ISIS has begun to accelerate its operation to activate these sleeper groups that its reaching out to and it's having international effects.'
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ISIS began as Al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2004 and militants had just 1,000 soldiers, but it has grown to more than 30,000
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Reach of ISIS now spans Middle East and northern Africa, with only the Mediterranean sea separating from Europe
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Terrorist groups around the world now pledging allegiance to Islamic State as groups seize destabilised countries
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Experts say ISIS' control in Libya could create potential 'disaster scenario' and coalition airstrikes are fueling the militants' manipulative propaganda
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ISIS has 31,500 loyal fighters according to CIA but estimates place this far higher at around 200,000 militants
Libya
Libya
The vastness of its influence went largely unnoticed among the wider public until Sunday when it released a gruesome  video showing the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians on a @placeholder beach.
Libya
Libya
The strength of ISIS' control went largely unnoticed until footage of 21 Egyptian Christians being beheaded on a beach in @placeholder (pictured) emerged
Libya
Libya
'Radicals from neighboring countries have been using @placeholder as a refuge and a base for operations against their home countries.'
ISIS
ISIS
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
ISIS
ISIS
ISIS
When it expanded into Syria in April 2013, it finally transformed into the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (@placeholder) as it exists today.
ISIS
ISIS
Al-Qaeda in Iraq
ISIS
ISIS
ISIS
'What we've seen in a few different places is @placeholder ability to transfer new military expertise, explosives planning, new planning to other groups to win over their allegiance and we're seeing that in Libya.'