ISIS is in, and ISIL is out.
The military will now officially refer to the Islamic State as “ISIS,” short for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to a memo issued by the Pentagon earlier this month. President Donald Trump uses the more commonly recognized term for the terrorist group, while former President Barack Obama preferred “ISIL,” short for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
“We view ISIS, ISIL and Daesh as interchangeable terms for the same thing,” Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said in an email clarifying the change on Friday. “ISIS is the term most known and understood by the American public, and it is what our leadership uses. This memo simply aligns our terminology.”
ISIS is the term most known and understood by the American public, and it is what our leadership uses.
Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis
The Feb. 13 memo from Defense Department Executive Secretary Michael Bruhn cites guidance from Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who himself referred to the group as ISIS during his confirmation hearing, as well as Trump’s executive memorandum in January as reasons for the change.
“The Defense Department will use the term Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, when referring to this threat,” he wrote.
The Obama administration referred to the group as ISIL in official statements and documents. The “Levant” in the term refers to the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, including areas of Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.
Using the term is meant to encompass a larger geographic area beyond Syria that is threatened by the terrorist group. ISIL is also a more accurate translation of the group’s Arabic name. Some critics of Obama’s Syria policy said the president used the word ISIL to avoid having to get involved in that country.
Trump signed an executive memorandum in January ordering military leaders to conduct a 30-day review of strategy to defeat the group, referring to the group as ISIS. The White House also has used the acronym in official documents and readouts of calls with foreign leaders.