ISIS stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It is a militant organization that emerged as an offshoot of al Qaeda in 2014. The group is also sometimes referred to as ISIL, which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Some political figures, including the former president of the United States, Barack Obama, use the acronym ISIL, while others use ISIS. The group is a Salafi jihadist transnational Islamist terror group and former unrecognised quasi-state. Its tactics, including beheadings, the taking of slaves, and bans on "un-Islamic" behavior such as music and smoking, are so brutal that it was even disowned by al Qaeda. Despite losing many of its leaders and its territory, ISIS remains capable of conducting insurgent operations in Iraq and Syria while overseeing at least 19 branches and networks in Africa, Asia, and Europe.