The attacks that took place on Friday in Paris again put the focus on the group calling itself the Islamic State.
The extremists responsible for the attacks, which killed at least 127 people were attributed.
Besides its brutal tactics including mass killings, kidnappings and beheadings of religious minorities broadcast on social networks, Islamic State has been a wave of fear and hatred throughout the world.
But what is truly Islamic state? Who funds it? How many members do you have?
1. What is it and what does Islamic State?
The group established a caliphate, which is a form of government headed by a political and religious leader in accordance with Islamic Sharia law, which controls a territory between the states of Syria and Iraq and aims to receive full support from the Muslim world.
Although only has a presence in these two countries, EI promised to "break the boundaries" of Lebanon and Jordan in order to "liberate Palestine".
It requested the support of Muslims around the world and demand that all swear allegiance to their leader (caliph), Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
2. What are their origins?
To search for the roots of Islamic State must go back to 2002, when the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant group created the Tawhid wa al-Jihad.
A year after the US-led invasion in Iraq, Zarqawi pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden founded al Qaeda in Iraq, which became the largest insurgent force during the years of the American occupation.
However, after Zarqawi's death in 2006, al Qaeda set up an alternative organization called the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI, for its acronym in English).
ISI was weakened by US troops and tips for creating Sahwa (Awakening), led by Sunni tribes who rejected the brutality of ISI.
Then in 2010, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi became the new leader, rebuilt the organization and conducted multiple attacks in the country. In 2013 he joined the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by the Nusra front.
In April of that year, Abu Bakr announced the merger of militias in Iraq and Syria and dubbed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS, for its acronym in English).
Leaders Nusra front, with whom had fought against al-Assad, rejected the decision. But fighters loyal to Abu Bakr followed him in his jihadist efforts.
In December 2013, ISIS focused on Iraq and took the deep political division between the government of targeting Shiite and minority Sunni Arabs.
Aided by tribal leaders, they managed to control the city of Fallujah.
But the real blow occurred in June this year, when they took control of Mosul, the second largest city of the country and continued their advance towards the capital, Baghdad.
In mid-July they had consolidated their control over dozens of cities and towns. At that point, ISIS said the creation of the caliphate and changed its name to the Islamic State.
3. How EI controlled territory?
Some estimates put the Islamic state and its allies control at least 40,000 square kilometers in Iraq and Syria, almost the territory of Belgium.
Others say they are about 90,000 square kilometers, the same area in which lies the state of Jordan.
That territory includes the cities of Mosul, Tikrit, Fallujah and Tal Afar in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria. In addition to oil fields, dams, roads and border limits.
At least eight million people live under partial or total control of EI, which has implemented a strict interpretation of sharia, forcing women to wear veils, forcing non-Muslims to convert or pay a tax, and imposing punishments They are including executions.
4. How many fighters belong to EI?
US officials They believe that Islamic state has about 15,000 active militiamen.
However, Iraqi security expert Hisham al-Hisham said in early August that could be between 30,000 and 50,000 the combatiendes EI, of which 30% are by conviction, while the rest have entered coerced leaders of the group.
A considerable number of fighters are neither Iraqi nor Syrian.
Soufan consultancy, specializing in research and security in the Middle East, estimated that at least 12,000 foreigners integrate the army of EI, including 2,500 from Western countries who have traveled to Syria and Iraq over the past three years.
5. What kind of weapons do you have?
The fighters of the Islamic State have access and are able to use a lot of weapons, including heavy artillery, machine guns, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft batteries.
In their military incursion they captured tanks and armored vehicles of the Syrian and Iraqi armies.
They have also managed to have a steady supply of ammunition enables them to have reinforced his army. Their attack power in recent clashes with the Peshmerga (Kurdish army) in northern Iraq surprised many.
6. How is it funded?
Islamic State reported having about $ 2,000 million in cash, becoming the richest insurgent group in the world.
At first his support came from some individuals from Arab Gulf countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Lately he has managed to become financially sustainable organization with autonomy, earning millions of dollars from the sale of oil and gas fields it controls, tax it collects on its territory and some illegal activities such as extortion, smuggling and kidnapping.
His offensive in Iraq was also quite lucrative, since I gained access to the cash that was in the banks of major cities that has been controlled.
7. Why their tactics are so brutal?
Members of the Islamic State are jihadists who have an extremist interpretation of the Sunni branch of Islam and believe they are the only true believers.
His vision of the rest of the world is based on the fact unbelievers who want to destroy their religion, thus justifying its attacks against other Muslims and non-Muslims.
Beheadings, crucifixions and mass murder have been used to frighten their enemies. Into this picture of horror, EI members justify their actions by citing Koranic verses that say something like "hit the head" of unbelievers.
In fact, the al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who rejected the actions of EI in February, warned the caliph that these brutalities would you lose the "hearts and minds of Muslims."
This note was originally published in September 2014, shortly after the executions of American journalists James Foley and Steve Sotloff.
