Why does Obama use the term ISIL instead of ISIS

[Skylar]

Its kind of strange he insist on using that term, besides having no passion and sounding pathetic "ISIL"

I suspect its because ISIL more accurately conveys the meaning of the organization.

On 8 April 2013, having expanded into Syria, the group adopted the name "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant", also known as "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham."[91][92][93] The name is abbreviated as ISIS or alternately ISIL. The final "S" in the acronym ISIS stems from the Arabic word Shām (or Shaam), which in the context of global jihad (e.g. Jund al-Sham) refers to the Levant or Greater Syria.[94][95] ISIS was also known as al-Dawlah ("the State"), or al-Dawlat al-Islāmīyah ("the Islamic State"). These are short-forms of the name "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham" in Arabic; it is similar to calling the United States of America "the States"

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

When we hear 'Syria', we think of the nation. Yet the word 'Syria' this organization is using means Syria and the greater Levant.