article_snippet.sent: ISIS commands 31,500 loyal fighters according to the CIA but a commander of the Kurdish fighters who battled the extremists told the Independent on Sunday that the Kurdish fighters who battled the extremists number closer to 200,000.
article_snippet.sent: the Independent on growth in power and territory has been staggering since 2004 when the Independent on was known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq
article_snippet.sent: A group of 15 men played a prominent role in the violent insurgency against the US and British occupation of Iraq after toppling Saddam Hussein's rule in 2003.
article_snippet.sent: After a string of bombings and murders over the next two years, the Independent on membership grew to around 1,000 according to the Washington Monthly.
article_snippet.sent: (AQI) then merged with (AQI) Mujahideen Shura Council allies in October 2006 to form the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI).
article_snippet.sent: During the Iraq War which took place between 2006 and 2008, ISI had strongholds in Mosul, Baghdad, Al-Anbar and Diyala and commanded between 1,000 and 2,500 soldiers by late 2012.
article_snippet.sent: When the Independent on expanded into Syria in April 2013, the Independent on finally transformed into the Islamic State of Iraq in Syria (ISIS) as the Independent on exists today.
article_snippet.sent: It was once a rebel group defying the British and US occupation of Iraq.