A Sunni uprising against Iraq's Shiite-led government has resulted in significant security concerns for the country since the United States' withdrawal in 2011.

The Sunni insurgent group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is considered an al-Qaeda offshoot with thousands of fighters supporting the mission. The goal for ISIS is to "redraw Middle East borders in order to create an Islamic state-or Caliphate-governed by an extremist interpretation of Islamic law," according to Time.

Several small towns and cities have been seized and brought under the control of ISIS during the last week. As a result, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. One of the cities includes Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul.

During the ISIS insurgency, the group claims to have killed 1,700 Iraqi soldiers. The alleged massacre has been a trending topic on social networks -- notably Twitter -- during the weekend. The authenticity of the 1,700 Iraqi soldier deaths has not been verified.

"We're trying to verify the pics, and I am not convinced they are authentic," said Human Rights Watch researcher Erin Evers.

Approximately 60 images have been published so far online featuring weapons and captured Iraqi militants. An hour-long video was also released titled "The Sound of Swords Clashing," which showed executions of Iraqi law enforcement.

According to The New York Times, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi issued a message to the U.S. "Soon we will face you, and we are waiting for this day," said al-Baghdadi in a statement. 

Al-Baghdadi reportedly partnered with al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri but severed ties over ISIS' tactics. The U.S. State Department has offered $10 million for al-Baghdadi's capture.

"For years, Maliki has intimidated and driven key Sunni figures out of his government, ignored agreements to create a national unity government, alienated the Kurds, and tried to repress legitimate Sunni opposition in ways that have contributed to steadily rising violence and civilian deaths," wrote Anthony H. Cordesman and Sam Khazai at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "These failures in governance by Prime Minister Maliki's government date back to 2010-2011, long before ISIS captured Fallujah and Ramadi in December 2013, and seized control of Mosul and Tikrit in June of 2014."

According to Cordesman and Khazai, ISIS is fighting two battles in Iraq's north and west while trying to seize land in Syria. ISIS does face "serious challenges" from Syria's Al Nusra and other rebel forces.

The ISIS insurgency could also prove problematic for Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's government has viewed ISIS as a developing threat particularly against Bashir al-Assad's Syrian government. The Associated Press noted Rouhani is ready to help Iraq, if asked, and would even cooperate with any U.S. effort.

For Secretary of State John Kerry, cooperation with Iran has not been an active discussion within the Obama administration.

"Let's see what Iran might or might not be willing to do before we start making any pronouncements," said Kerry to Yahoo! News. Despite his hesitance to cooperate with Iran, Kerry said he won't rule out solutions that would be "constructive to providing real stability."

"I think we are open to any constructive process here that could minimize the violence, hold Iraq together -- the integrity of the country -- and eliminate the presence of outside terrorist forces that are ripping it apart," added Kerry.

"The possibility that ISIS will repeat the atrocities it has committed in other parts of Iraq, and impose the same intolerant and abusive rule as it has in Syria, is deeply troubling," said Human Rights Watch Deputy Middle East Director Nadim Houry. "But the Iraqi government needs to deal with the situation without the brutal tactics for which civilians elsewhere in the country have long been paying a heavy price."