ISIS vs ISIL - what's the difference?

USA Today Network Kacie Yearout, WCSH 7:48 p.m. CST December 6, 2015

(NEWS CENTER) -- "ISIS" has been dominating media headlines. But government officials are saying "ISIL." What's the difference?

The two acronyms refer to the same group. ISIS stands for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria because the group's territory straddles the border between the two counties.

ISIL stands for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The Levant is the historic name given to the entire region east of the Mediterranean from Egypt, east to Iran and to Turkey. U.S. officials use ISIL instead of ISIS to emphasize the group's goal to expand its influence beyond the borders of Syria and Iraq.

The group began as a splinter from the terrorist group al Qaeda. The goal of ISIS is to create an Islamic state in Middle Eastern and African countries.

President Obama said Sunday that the terrorist threat has "evolved into a new phase" of attacks hatched at home by extremists "poisoning the minds" of killers already on American soil.

"For seven years, I've confronted this evolving threat each and every morning in my intelligence briefing, and since the day I took this office, I have authorized U.S. forces to take out terrorists abroad precisely because I know how real the danger is," he said.

Interesting fact: the town of Levant just outside of Bangor, Maine was named for the Middle Eastern region back in 1813.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/06/isis-vs-isil---whats-difference/76902630/

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