Who are Islamic State (IS)?

Formed out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in 2013,
IS captured Raqqa in eastern Syria
By early 2014 it controlled Falluja in western
Iraq
It has since captured broad swathes of Iraq,
seizing Mosul in the north in June and the
Mosul dam in August
The violence has displaced an estimated 1.2
million people in Iraq alone
Pursuing an extreme form of Sunni Islam, IS
has persecuted non-Muslims such as Yazidis
and Christians, as well as Shia Muslims, whom
it regards as heretics
In July alone, IS expanded dramatically,
recruiting some 6,300 new fighters largely in
Raqqa, an activist monitoring group said
Islamic State activities as of 14 August
Are you in Syria or the wider region