Turkish jets strike Kurdish fighters in Syria, Iraq’s Sinjar

Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq’s Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. A Turkish military statement said around 70 militants were killed in the operations inside the two neighboring states. The air strikes in Syria targeted […]

Al Qaeda looking to co-opt jihadist movement in Syria through influence, mergers

Al Qaeda commander Ayman al-Zawahiri issued an audio message on Sunday telling his supporters to prepare for a guerilla campaign in Syria against Assad, the West, and Iran, Reuters reports. In the undated message, Zawahiri advises his fighters to remain patient and focus on a protracted conflict in Iraq and Syria. The message comes as […]

Five Indian families, including young children, disappear to join the Islamic State

PADANNA, India — The aspiring jihadists began leaving here quietly in May, slipping away in twos and threes to avoid suspicion. By the time their relatives realized they were missing, five families — some with small children — had left their comfortable bungalows and jobs as doctors and businessmen to make the perilous journey to […]

Trump sees no American role in Libya beyond fighting Islamic State

President Donald Trump believes the United States should focus solely on fighting the Islamic State in Libya. His comments on Thursday in a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni lend themselves to a Trump foreign policy doctrine beginning to coalesce around a powerful military with a willingness to use force, combined with a […]

U.S. forces kill Islamic State militant linked to Turkey nightclub attack

The United States disclosed on Friday a secret military ground operation that killed an Islamic State operative seen as a close associate of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and linked to an attack on a Turkish nightclub that left 39 people dead. Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, who was believed to be from Uzbekistan, was killed during the ground […]

Taliban militants kill dozens of Afghan troops in brazen attack on army base

KABUL — Disguised in army uniforms, a group of Taliban insurgents stormed an army base in Afghanistan’s most secure northern Balkh province Friday, killing several dozen soldiers in one of the bloodiest such attacks in years, officials said. There were conflicting reports as to how the guerrillas made their way inside the vast, heavily fortified […]

Mattis on war in Yemen: ‘It has simply got to be brought to an end’

In his first trip to Saudi Arabia as Secretary of Defense, James Mattis is seeking to shore up relations between the U.S. and the Saudis, while sending Iran a message. Along with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the Trump administration is effecting a sort of ‘reboot’ with the Saudis, who had felt continually at odds […]

Two police officers shot in Paris, one killed and one wounded

Paris, France- Two police officers were shot by a gunman on Champs-Élysées, a popular tourist boulevard in the capital. One police officer was killed and the other wounded after the gunman got out of a vehicle and fired at the officers. The gunman’s identity has not been released yet but he reportedly killed himself after shooting the […]

‘We want to learn’: Iraqi girls back at school after years under Islamic State

Iraqi schoolgirl Manar Mahmoud is eager to resume classes after years of life under Islamic State in Mosul, ignoring the nearby rattle of artillery fire. The 13-year-old is back at her old school in the eastern part of the city, which Iraqi forces recaptured from the Sunni Muslim militants in January. Within earshot, fighting is […]

Islamic State seeking alliance with al Qaeda, Iraqi vice president says

Islamic State is talking to al Qaeda about a possible alliance as Iraqi troops close in on IS fighters in Mosul, Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi said in an interview on Monday. Allawi said he got the information on Monday from Iraqi and regional contacts knowledgeable about Iraq. “The discussion has started now,” Allawi said. […]