America created the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria? Meet the ISIS 'truthers'

Did Hillary Clinton start the Islamist insurgency in Iraq? Did she brag about it, too? Read on to find out.

ISIS
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Militant Website, File))

In June, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militia swarmed across Iraq, conquering huge swaths of territory and even threatening to topple the government in Baghdad. ISIS is now in charge of a self-declared caliphate and is fantastically flush with cash, thanks to oil revenue from its conquered territories, ransom for hostages, the gold reserves it lifted from the central bank in the northern city of Mosul, and other revenue streams.

ISIS had been planning its conquest since at least 2006, when al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed by U.S. airstrikes and the group rebranded. Or at least that's the official story. Not everyone is convinced. But the conspiracy theories, especially one that the U.S. government created ISIS, aren't just a phenomenon discussed at FreeRepublic forums and anti–New World Order meet-ups. The story gained such widespread currency that the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon earlier this month felt compelled to make this declaration on Facebook:

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.