Black Flags (52 page)

ISIS soldiers march through the streets of Raqqa, the western Syrian city captured by the terrorist group and claimed as its capital in 2013. (SITE Intelligence Group)

ISIS leader Baghdadi proclaims himself leader of Islamic caliphate at the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in the Iraqi city of Mosul. (SITE Intelligence Group)

ISIS terrorizes captured Iraqi and Syrian cities with public executions, from beheadings to crucifixions, such as this one in Raqqa’s main square. (SITE Intelligence Group)

A convoy of ISIS vehicles crosses the Iraqi desert in early 2014. With crucial support from sympathetic Iraqi Sunnis, the terrorist group is easily able to capture Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, and much of Anbar Province. (SITE Intelligence Group)

ISIS propaganda video shows captured Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh before he is burned alive on video. (SITE Intelligence Group)

King Abullah II embraces the father of slain pilot al-Kasasbeh outside the family home in southern Jordan. (Royal Hashemite Court)

Jordanian fighter jets return home from a bombing mission in Syria after Jordan’s monarchy vows revenge for the execution of its captured pilot. “They will be hit hard,” the king declares. (Jordanian Armed Forces photo)