Dozens of ISIS fighters killed in Iraqi forces’ assault on Falluja

US-led coalition strikes supporting Iraqi forces in the push to recapture Falluja have killed 70 Islamic State militants including the group’s commander in the city, according to the US military. Maher al-Bilawi, commander of Islamic State fighters in Falluja, was killed on Wednesday, said Colonel Steve Warren, a spokesman for the US-led military campaign against Isis. Warren […]

U.S. Special Operators Back in Yemen

In the chaos between the Sunni Yemenis and the Shitte Houthis – AQAP took advantage of the fighting and seized large swathes of land in the east including the port city of Al Mukalla.

ISIS’s Zakat: Taxes for Terrorism

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. Zakat in the traditional sense is considered charity money to be used on deserving Muslims. However, it can also be collected by a state institution and the state can determine how to spend the money. As ISIS has declared and project themselves a state, they can […]

ISIS ‘Disappeared’ From Fallujah Outskirts Ahead of Offensive: Resident

ISIS fighters who’d occupied the outskirts of Fallujah have melted away ahead of an Iraqi government offensive to retake the city, according to a villager who recently fled the area. Farmer Alaa Abdulrahman told NBC News that the 40-odd ISIS militants “all disappeared suddenly” from Albu Jassem village in northern Fallujah province. “They cannot go […]

Russian helicopters and military vehicles ‘destroyed by Islamic State’

Dozens of Russian military vehicles and attack helicopters deployed to Syria may have have been destroyed in an apparent attack by Isil. Images released on Tuesday by Stratfor, the American intelligence think tank, show what appear to be the blackened remains of four attack helicopters and dozens of lorries at an airbase used by Russia near […]

Teen Pleads Not Guilty to Threat Against Military Personnel

A teenager accused earlier of trying to assist the Islamic State group has pleaded not guilty to accusations he tweeted out the names and addresses of military personnel with threats of violence. Jalil Ibn Ameer Aziz, 19, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to federal charges of solicitation to commit a crime of violence and transmitting a […]

ISIL’s evolving strategy should raise security concerns

A series of coordinated attacks in three cities in Syria and Yemen on Monday by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) provides important new insights into the group’s current capabilities and strategy, suggesting that the months ahead will be increasingly violent in the Middle East and perhaps further […]