It's official: Our enemy is the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS

WASHINGTON — What’s in a name?

The Islamic State terrorist group would be still be as barbaric under any of its labels: ISIL (preferred under the Obama administration), or Daesh (the moniker of choice ISIS for many world leaders and some of its adversaries in the Middle East).

But henceforth, by decree, the Pentagon, in all official references will refer to the terror network as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS.
A memo circulated Tuesday throughout the military makes that clear.

“Subject: Naming Convention for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

“Consistent with National Security Presidential Memorandum-3 of January 28, 2017, ‘Plan to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,’ and guidance from the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense will use the term Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, when referring to this threat.”

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The move simply simplifies terms, said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

“We view ISIS, ISIL and Daesh as interchangeable terms for the same thing,” Davis said in an email. “ISIS is the term most known and understood by the American public, and it is what our leadership uses.  This simply aligns our terminology.”

It also puts the Pentagon straight with the Commander in Chief, who has registered his disdain for abbreviation ISIL, which refers to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, a broader geographic area that includes Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.

In a tweet after the terror attack in San Bernardino, which was inspired by Islamic State, Trump upbraided Obama for referring to the group as ISIL:

“Wish Obama would say ISIS, like almost everyone else, rather than ISIL.”

Now that Trump is in charge, they will at the Pentagon.