Name: AC
Uploaded: 06-13-2014
Duration: 1:42
Description: Because you want to understand, but it can be really complicated.

The official Iraqi government and army and have been unable to fight off ISIS. The stakes are high: Iraq could break apart into regions based on religion and ethnicity (Sunni, Shiite, Kurd), one group could gain control of the oil fields of Iraq, and the democratic process could be eliminated.

$\"PHOTO:$

Reuters

PHOTO: Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) celebrate on vehicles taken from Iraqi security forces, at a street in city of Mosul, June 12, 2014.

Can You Remind Me About Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds Quickly?

Yes. This is tricky but important. There are three main groups in Iraq: Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Sunni Kurds.
Sunni and Shiite are different sects of Islam, a religion.
Kurd is an ethnic group, like Arab or Indian or Caucasian.
In Iraq, the majority is Shiite Arabs who control the government. Then there are Sunni Kurds who live mostly by themselves in northern Iraq. And then there are Sunni Arabs who live in the western half of Iraq and are a political minority. Many Sunni Arabs are the ones joining and supporting the ISIS takeover.

$\"PHOTO:$

AP Photo

PHOTO: Map locates cities in Iraq that were sites of attacks.

Why Do Sunnis Want an ISIS Takeover?

Many Sunni Muslims feel they were mistreated under the Shiite prime minister.
Since Shiite Muslims are the majority, they tend to elect Shiite leaders, so Sunni leaders may never be in top positions of power.
Because ISIS is Sunni, many Sunnis support them and see them as liberators.
Not all residents are supporting ISIS. Many who fear ISIS and combat have been forced to flee Mosul and Tikrit as ISIS has taken over.

$\"PHOTO:$

AP Photo

PHOTO: Refugees fleeing from Mosul head to the self-ruled northern Kurdish region in Irbil, Iraq, June 12, 2014.

Want to know more? You can read all about the ISIS here, and all about the conflict in Iraq here.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/International/simple-guide-understanding-conflict-iraq/story?id=24113794","legacySlug":"/news/story/simple-guide-understanding-conflict-iraq-24113794","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"20:18","publishDate":"06-13-2014","updatedTime":"19:59","updatedDate":"06-13-2014","socialImage":{"alt":"The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has taken over much of the Iraqi province of Nineveh and the city, Mosul. Last year, they took control of Falluja.","credit":"ABC News","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/ISIS_Iraq_map_140613_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"6/13/2014 20:18:17 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":24113794,"headline":"AC","mediaAssetTitle":"curry_iraq_explainer_140613","description":"Because you want to understand, but it can be really complicated.","duration":"1:42","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/140613_gma_raddatz_0704_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["134611251","134403231","133741861"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"July 9, 2026","headline":"Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","section":"News","slug":"/video/134611251","id":"134611251","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260709_gma_quinones_ice1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 2, 2026","headline":"Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","section":"News","slug":"/video/134403231","id":"134403231","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260702_gma_champion_heat1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"June 10, 2026","headline":"NASA unveils Artemis III crew","section":"News","slug":"/video/133741861","id":"133741861","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: NASA unveils Artemis III crew","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260610_gma_benitez_artemis_715_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"AC","description":"Because you want to understand, but it can be really complicated.","duration":"1:42","uploadDate":"06-13-2014","publication":"06-13-2014","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/140613_gma_raddatz_0704_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/i/abcnews/140613_gma_raddatz_0704_,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/simple-guide-understanding-conflict-iraq-24113794"}},"playlist":[{"id":"134548164","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134542058","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134416060","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134443994","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134406623","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134358132","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134353508","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134335187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134334942","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134302445","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134246001","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134202757","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134211156","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134179882","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134130187","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134161969","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134164484","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134145709","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134134667","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134099631","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"AC","pubTime":"16:18","pubDate":"06-13-2014","modTime":"15:59","modDate":"06-13-2014","taxonomyTags":"none","id":24113794,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"AC","mediaAssetTitle":"curry_iraq_explainer_140613","videoId":24113794,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/simple-guide-understanding-conflict-iraq-24113794"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/24113794","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/24113794","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};

Up Next in news

Family speaks out after man died in ICE shooting in Texas

Track and timing of the life-threatening heat wave

NASA unveils Artemis III crew