Voice of America – 18 june 2014
WASHINGTON — The Iraqi militants known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, have taken control of Iraq’s largest oil refinery in addition to a central bank and at least 12 towns and cities, including the country’s second largest, Mosul.
Territory within Syria and Iraq, ISIL’s Planned Islamic State
For some, the group’s advance into Iraq after fighting in Syria came as a shock, but taking over parts of Iraq was always at the top of ISIL’s agenda – Syria was just a path to getting there.