IS fighters left in Mosul will die, says US envoy McGurk

Any so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters left in Mosul will die in the Iraqi city, a US envoy co-ordinating the offensive has said. Brett McGurk, the senior US official in the counter-IS coalition, issued the warning after Iraqi forces cut off the last road out of the city, trapping IS fighters inside. The jihadists have […]

Assad calls U.S. forces ‘invaders,’ but still hopeful on Trump

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said U.S. forces in Syria were “invaders” and he had yet to see “anything concrete” emerge from U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to prioritize the fight against Islamic State. Assad has said he saw promise in Trump’s statements emphasizing the battle against Islamic State in Syria, where U.S. policy under President […]

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces prepared to assault Raqqa with American help

As the multitude of Syrian opposition forces converge for the offensive on Raqqa, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claim they are prepared to take the ISIS stronghold with the help of their American supporters. The SDF made these statements as conflict between Turkey and the Syrian Kurdish contingent of the SDF continues to grow. Turkey’s […]

US troops seem poised to take a prominent role in attacking the ISIS capital

US military forces seem poised to take a prominent role in the long-awaited battle to take down Raqqa, Syria, the capital of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Though the Pentagon has long downplayed the role of US ground troops in the fight against the ISIS terror group in Iraq and Syria, recent deployments of many more “boots […]

U.S. Marines arrive in Syria, bring heavy artillery with them

Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Syria this week, along with M777 Howitzers armed with 155 millimeter explosive shells.  Their presence is intended to bolster the coalition of militias, collectively referred to as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as they continue their offensive to take ISIS’ self-declared capital, Raqqa. While the Pentagon has […]

US Marine Corps Deploys to Syria with the Big Guns!

It is being reported by the Marine Corps that a ‘couple hundred’ Marines have moved into Syria from the 11 th Marine Expeditionary Unit and they have taken artillery with them. Moving within artillery range of Raqqa, the so called capital of the Islamic State the Marines will be positioned to take immediate action in support […]

Coalition forces report ISIS leader has likely fled Mosul

According to U.S. and Iraqi officials, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic state, has fled Mosul, leaving operational commanders and diehard followers behind to fight the losing battle for the city. Intelligence officials have not been able to locate al-Baghdadi, but were able to come to the conclusion that he’s fled the city […]

U.S. support for YPG fighters frustrates Turkey, who calls them terrorists

The American campaign to remove the Islamic State from northern Syria continues to be complicated by the various armed groups and allegiances on the ground. Turkey, a critical ally for the United States in counter-terrorism operations in the region, has expressed great concern over American support for the Kurdish YPG, an armed group fighting against […]

Syrian army captures water station supplying Aleppo from Islamic State

The Syrian army and its allies have captured the main water pumping station that supplies Aleppo in a sweeping advance against Islamic State that has brought them to the bank of the Euphrates, a group that monitors the conflict said on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army and allied forces made […]

30 people killed as Islamic State gunmen dressed as doctors storm a Kabul hospital

At least three gunmen entered Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan Hospital in Kabul, a hospital with 400 beds, dressed in white coats posing as doctors. In the attack, 30 people were killed and 50 were injured. A suicide bombing at the southern gate initiated the attack which was followed by gunfire. After the explosion at approximately 9 am […]

U.S.-backed Iraqi forces capture Mosul bridge, close in on state buildings

MOSUL, Iraq — U.S.-backed Iraqi forces captured the second of Mosul’s five bridges on Monday, giving a boost to their onslaught on the Islamic State militant group’s remaining strongholds in the western part of the city. All of Mosul’s five bridges have been destroyed, but the capture of the remaining parts on the west bank […]