The origin 

Its origins can be dated back to 2002. It started off with al-Qaeda and the latter disowned it in 2014. During the Second Gulf War of 2003, the US government formed a coalition with many other nations and invaded Iraq and subsequently overthrew its dictator, Saddam Hussein. And, al-Qaeda was among the groups fighting against the invasion. It was initially based in Iraq but later on extended to Syria, too when the civil war started there. Hence, the name.