The terrifying rise of ISIS: Map that shows how terror group's tentacles now reach from Algeria to Afghanistan

• ISIS began as Al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2004 and militants had just 1,000 soldiers, but it has grown to more than 30,000
• Reach of ISIS now spans Middle East and northern Africa, with only the Mediterranean sea separating from Europe
• Terrorist groups around the world now pledging allegiance to Islamic State as groups seize destabilised countries
• Experts say ISIS' control in Libya could create potential 'disaster scenario' and coalition airstrikes are fueling the militants' manipulative propaganda
• ISIS has 31,500 loyal fighters according to CIA but estimates place this far higher at around 200,000 militants 

Born out of the Iraqi War in 2003, Islamic State's deadly grip has stretched across the Middle East and into northern-Africa where today, only the Mediterranean Sea separates the militants from Europe.

It has conquered regions of Iraq, Syria and recently Libya while building a terrifying support structure in Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt's Sinai Province, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Algeria.

And this tyrannical expansion is all part of its 'global strategy' to seize control of destablised countries while 'engaging in all-out battle against the West,' The Institute for the Study of War told MailOnline.   

Counter-terrorism analyst Harleen Gambhir said: 'What we've started to see is ISIS has begun to accelerate its operation to activate these sleeper groups that its reaching out to and it's having international effects.'

The vastness of its influence went largely unnoticed among the wider public until Sunday when it released a gruesome video showing the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians on a Libyan beach.

Growth of terror: Since its formation as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 2013 - it has conquered regions of Iraq, Syria and recently Libya - while building support among marginalised Muslims in Turkey, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt's Sinai Province, Afghanistan, Tunisia and Algeria

The strength of ISIS' control went largely unnoticed until footage of 21 Egyptian Christians being beheaded on a beach in Libya (pictured) emerged

Control: Supporters brazenly show their support for Islamic State in their Iraqi stronghold of Mosul (pictured), which the government is now trying to take back

Expansion: As the West's gaze was transfixed on Islamic State's brutal acts of terror in Iraq and Syria, it was gaining support from marginalised Muslims as far as Kashmir (pictured) on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border 

The country's proximity to Europe and its role as a 'hub' for radicalism now poses a 'disaster scenario' according to Middle East and Africa legal consultants Perim Associates.

Its Chief Executive Ethan Chorin told MailOnline: 'There is real concern that dynamics in Libya could destabilise neighboring states like Algeria which, like Egypt, has had a long and particularly violent battle with extremism.

'Radicals from neighboring countries have been using Libya as a refuge and a base for operations against their home countries.'

ISIS commands 31,500 loyal fighters according to the CIA but a commander of the Kurdish fighters who battled the extremists told the Independent on Sunday that they number closer to 200,000. 

Its growth in power and territory has been staggering since 2004 when it was known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq