The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is getting plenty of attention from super powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom these days. Not only few of their citizens are fighting alongside with ISIS groups, but also the ISIS is capturing many others for ransom and other reasons.
In August 2013, the United States started aerial attacks on several ISIS targets inside Iraq especially in the Northern Iraq where it has a counselor office. ISIS cornering certain ethnic group trapped on a mountain hilltop is also a reason for the US involvement on humanitarian grounds. The US is also helping the Kurdish forces to regain control of certain strategic locations such as dams and other territories they lost to ISIS recently. The US and the UK governments are concerned of some of their citizens who are fighting for the ISIS causes returning back to home countries and organizing attacks.
ISIS is well funded from previous looting they made in Iraq and Syria, foreign donations for the cause and levies they make on people and businesses in territories that they control. Their brutal tactics including mass killings of captured soldiers, very public beheadings, and others are making headlines every day.