Islamic State threatens more bloodshed in Iran

The Islamic State has stepped up its efforts to target Iran, releasing a stream of propaganda, vowing more bloodshed and boosting recruitment among the country’s Sunni minority groups. Last week, Iranian authorities said they arrested more than two dozen people who planned to bomb religious sites with smuggled explosives. The Islamic State then released a video in […]

In a Syria Refuge, extremists exert greater control

After surviving a siege by Syrian forces, Firas al-Rahim and his family were removed from a rebel-held area of Homs province in central Syria and taken to an impoverished territory in the northwest. But since Mr. Rahim, his wife and their four children arrived in Idlib Province in May, they have struggled to find food […]

Women recruits prepare to join Syria’s Raqqa battle

Women fighters danced to Kurdish songs in a village in northern Syria on Wednesday after completing their military training to join the battle against Islamic State. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of local militias supported by a U.S.-led coalition, had given the 210 women a 15-day course in armed combat. Trainers taught the […]

‘US-led’ Coalition Air Strike Allegedly Kills 29 Civilians

The US-led coalition air raids on fighters of the Islamic State in the Syrian city of Raqqa in northern Syria have killed 29 civilians in the past 24 hours. This occurred as American-backed forces battle the ISIS fighters in the Islamic State’s last big stronghold and their former “caliphate” in Syria a human rights watch group reported […]

Turkey prepared for possible fight with YPG in Syria

Set amid an increasingly violent environment of confrontation between Syrian Kurds and the Turkish government, Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan has been upping the rhetoric against his Kurdish enemies in Syria, much to the delight of his political base at home. Speaking at a rally over the weekend, Erdogan said “We will take important steps to […]

Turkey Revamps Top Military Officials and Now Will Attack Kurds in Syria

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has just reshuffled the top leadership in the military and has spoken of military action against Kurdish fighters in Syria that could set back the progress of the U.S.-led battle against Islamic State. Kurdish militia are being armed and supplied by the US, and they are spearheading an assault against the […]

In Raqqa, a battle of attrition as civilians flee in shock

As U.S.-backed forces in Syria inch their way through Raqqa, once the Islamic State’s de facto capital and staunchest stronghold, their battle has become one of grinding attrition, and the toughest they have faced to date. At times they are fighting house-to-house, battling suicide attacks in narrow streets as they wait to see if the […]

US Military Conduct Airstrikes on ISIS in Iraq, Syria

With air operations continuing during Operation Inherent Resolve, the United States and other coalition military air forces pounded the Islamic State of Syria Saturday, conducting 32 air strikes consisting of 39 engagements, US military officials reported. The coalition also hit ISIS in Iraq with four strikes consisting of nine engagements. These strikes were conducted as […]

US Military Conduct Airstrikes on ISIS in Iraq, Syria

With air operations continuing during Operation Inherent Resolve, the United States and other coalition military air forces pounded the Islamic State of Syria Saturday, conducting 32 air strikes consisting of 39 engagements, US military officials reported. The coalition also hit ISIS in Iraq with four strikes consisting of nine engagements. These strikes were conducted as […]

No coordination between Lebanon and Syrian armies against IS: Lebanese military source

The Lebanese army will not coordinate with the Syrian army to fight against Islamic State in the Lebanese-Syrian border zone, a military source told Reuters on Saturday, rejecting a local media report of direct military cooperation between the two. The source said the Lebanese army had the military capability to confront and defeat the group […]

Behind the sudden death of a $1 billion secret C.I.A. war in Syria

 The end came quickly for one of the costliest covert action programs in the history of the C.I.A. During a White House briefing early last month, the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, recommended to President Trump that he shut down a four-year-old effort to arm and train Syrian rebels. The president swiftly ended the program. The rebel […]

This is the anti-tank missile that the US may be sending to Ukraine

Reports emerged on Monday that the US is planning to send defensive weapons to Ukraine in order to deter Russia, which has managed and funded rebels in the Donbas. The plan includes sending Javelin anti-tank missile systems, and possibly anti-aircraft and other weapons systems. Developed by Raytheon in 1989, the FGM-148 Javelin is a large shoulder-mounted, infrared guided missile system capable of piercing 600mm to 800mm steel armor. […]