A year ago few people in the U.S. year had heard of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. Today the group has a presence from Syria’s Mediterranean coast to south of Baghdad and controls some of Iraq’s biggest cities, including Mosul. The U.S. and coalition forces have conducted airstrikes in both Syria and Iraq while debates continue over whether American ground forces are needed to defeat ISIS. The Obama administration’s efforts in the fight against ISIS have become an issue in the mid-term elections.
The PBS series FRONTLINE explores how ISIS rose to power in the report, "The Rise of ISIS," airing October 28 at 9 pm, Central; 8 pm, Mountain on SDPB1 Television. Veteran reporter/producer Martin Smith has documented the conflict in four other films since 2003 and returned to Iraq this summer for his latest report. He joined Dakota Midday and discussed how ISIS became a major force so quickly.