Islamic State Ancient Sites Photo Gallery(01 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - This undated file image posted on a militant website on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, shows fighters from the al-Qaida linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), now called the Islamic State group, marching in Raqqa, Syria. When Islamic State fighters routed Syrian government forces and took control of the ruins of Palmyra Thursday, May 21, 2015 morning, the ancient city became the latest archaeological heritage site to fall into the hands of the militant group. (Militant Website via AP, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The Week In Mideast Photos(02 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this Tuesday, March 31, 2015 file photo, Iraqi security forces and allied Shiite militiamen celebrate as they hold a flag of the Islamic State group they captured in Tikrit, 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi forces battled Islamic State militants holed up in downtown Tikrit, going house to house Tuesday in search of snipers and booby traps, and the prime minister said security forces had reached the heart of the city. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File) (credit:Khalid Mohammed/AP)
Mideast Al-Qaida vs Islamic State(03 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this Monday, Nov. 24, 2014, file photo, smoke billows behind an Islamic State group sign during clashes between militants from the Islamic State group and Iraqi security forces during a military operation to regain control of the town of Sadiyah, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq in Diyala province, Iraq. In a competition with the Islamic State group for recruits and prestige across the Middle East, al-Qaida has sought to distinguish itself from its rival's bloodthirstiness, taking an approach that in jihadi circles would be considered pragmatic. (AP Photo, File) (credit:uncredited/AP)
Mideast Al-Qaida vs Islamic State(04 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this April 23, 2013 file photo, a suspected Yemeni al-Qaida militant, center, holds a banner as he stands behind bars during a court hearing in state security court in Sanaa, Yemen. In a competition with the Islamic State group for recruits and prestige across the Middle East, al-Qaida has sought to distinguish itself from its rival's bloodthirstiness, taking an approach that in jihadi circles would be considered pragmatic. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File) (credit:Hani Mohammed/AP)
Mideast Al-Qaida vs Islamic State(05 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this Monday, June 16, 2014 file photo, demonstrators chant pro-Islamic State group slogans as they wave the group's flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq. The IS declaration of a "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria inspired a stream of thousands of foreign fighters to join it and earned it pledges of allegiance by individual militants around the region. (AP Photo, File) (credit:UGC/AP)
Islamic State consolidates grip on Ramadi; executions reported(06 of15)
Open Image ModalAn Islamic State car bomb explodes at the gate of a government building near the provincial governor's compound in Ramadi, Iraq, on Saturday, May 16, 2015, during heavy fighting that saw most of the city fall to the militants. (Stringer/McClatchy DC/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:McClatchy DC via Getty Images)
Yarmouk Refugee Camp After Islamic States Militant Group Invasion(07 of15)
Open Image ModalYARMOUK, SYRIA - MAY 17: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Debris remain scattered after the battle against the Islamic State militant group at the government-occupied area of the Yarmouk Camp on May 17, 2015 in Yarmouk, Syria. The refugee camp, set up in 1957 to accept the Palestine people fled from Isreal, was recently invaded by the Islamic State militant group, which have occupied more than half of two square kilometres area. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) (credit:The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Yarmouk Refugee Camp After Islamic States Militant Group Invasion(08 of15)
Open Image ModalYARMOUK, SYRIA - MAY 17: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) A Syrian soldier patrols among debris as the battles against the Islamic State militant group continues at the government-occupied area of the Yarmouk Camp on May 17, 2015 in Yarmouk, Syria. The refugee camp, set up in 1957 to accept the Palestine people fled from Isreal, was recently invaded by the Islamic State militant group, which have occupied more than half of two square kilometres area. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) (credit:The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Yarmouk Refugee Camp After Islamic States Militant Group Invasion(09 of15)
Open Image ModalYARMOUK, SYRIA - MAY 17: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Syrian soldiers patrol among debris as the battles against the Islamic State militant group continues at the government-occupied area of the Yarmouk Camp on May 17, 2015 in Yarmouk, Syria. The refugee camp, set up in 1957 to accept the Palestine people fled from Isreal, was recently invaded by the Islamic State militant group, which have occupied more than half of two square kilometres area. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) (credit:The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Yarmouk Refugee Camp After Islamic States Militant Group Invasion(10 of15)
Open Image ModalYARMOUK, SYRIA - MAY 17: (CHINA OUT, SOUTH KOREA OUT) Debris remain scattered after the battle against the Islamic State militant group at the government-occupied area of the Yarmouk Camp on May 17, 2015 in Yarmouk, Syria. The refugee camp, set up in 1957 to accept the Palestine people fled from Isreal, was recently invaded by the Islamic State militant group, which have occupied more than half of two square kilometres area. (Photo by The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images) (credit:The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images)
Islamic State Ancient Sites Photo Gallery(11 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this image made from a militant video posted on YouTube on Friday, April 3, 2015, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, a militant hammers away at a face on a wall in Hatra, a large fortified city recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, 110 kilometers (68 miles) southwest of Mosul, Iraq. The Islamic State groupâs attacks on these famed archaeological treasures are partially motivated by the groupâs hostility to non-Islamic and pre-Islamic cultures. But some antiquities authorities have charged that the destruction is a partial cover for the militantsâ lucrative business in selling looted artifacts on the black market. (Militant video via AP, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria(12 of15)
Open Image ModalThis picture released on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 by the website of Islamic State militants, shows a tank with Islamic State group fighters clashing with Syrian government forces on a road between Homs and Palmyra, Syria. Islamic State militants overran the famed archaeological site at Palmyra early on Thursday, just hours after seizing the central Syrian town, activists and officials said, raising concerns the extremists might destroy some of the priceless ruins as they have done in neighboring Iraq. (The website of Islamic State militants via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mideast Syria(13 of15)
Open Image ModalIn this picture released on Wednesday, May 20, 2015 by the website of Islamic State militants, an Islamic State fighter aims his weapon during a battle against the Syrian government forces on a road between Homs and Palmyra, Syria. Islamic State militants overran the famed archaeological site at Palmyra early on Thursday, just hours after seizing the central Syrian town, activists and officials said, raising concerns the extremists might destroy some of the priceless ruins as they have done in neighboring Iraq. (The website of Islamic State militants via AP) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Islamic State Ancient Sites Photo Gallery(14 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this image made from video posted on a social media account affiliated with the Islamic State group on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, militants attack ancient artifacts with sledgehammers in the Ninevah Museum in Mosul, Iraq. Islamic State militants have looted and vandalized the museum in Mosul, Iraqâs 2nd largest city, and have massively damaged the ancient cities of Hatra and Ninevah both UNESCO world heritage sites. (AP Photo via militant social media account, File) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Isis Company Names(15 of15)
Open Image ModalFILE - In this June 16, 2014 file photo, demonstrators chant pro-Islamic State group slogans as they carry the group's flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul, 225 miles (360 kilometers) northwest of Baghdad. Branding experts say an unfortunate association with a name, like businesses and brands who share the name "Isis" with the notorious Islamic militant group, can scar a companys reputation with customers even if the connection is just coincidental. (AP Photo, File) (credit:STR/AP)