The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) rose to global prominence in 2014, when its militants seized large swathes of territory in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the ongoing civil war in Syria and Iraq’s collapsing local militias. The Islamic State assumed some state functions in areas under its control, such as collecting taxes and organizing basic services. Policing, education, and healthcare were, of course, conducted in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. There have also been widespread reports of sexual violence by ISIS, including forced marriages and sexual slavery. Witness accounts and the group’s own propaganda indicate that ISIS continues to rely on extreme violence against civilians to enforce its orders and ensure compliance: public executions, amputations, and floggings were common, and the bodies of the executed were often displayed as a warning against disobedience. The government's stated goal is therefore to consolidate and expand its control over the territory once ruled by early Muslim caliphs, and to govern through the implementation of its own strict interpretation of Sharia. The group's power and expansion program pose a growing threat to U.S. regional allies and U.S. installations and personnel in the Middle East, as well as in the West.