A series of U.S. airstrikes since last week has slowed the operational tempo of the Islamic State, the terrorist group that has seized large parts of northern Iraq, but is unlikely to substantially weaken the group, the Pentagon said on Aug. 11. 

Iraq’s outgoing Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered security forces not to intervene in the political crisis over who will form the next government. “I want you to stay away from the political crisis and to carry out your security duties to protect the country. Do not intervene and let the …

Russia and Egypt pledged Tuesday to expand cooperation in various spheres as top leaders of the countries met in Sochi. After talks with visiting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al- Sisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that the Customs Union, a trade bloc grouping Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, was mulling …

Iraq needs a “broad unity government” if it is to combat Islamist militants who have seized swathes of territory and are threatening minorities, says French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. He is in Iraq for crisis talks on the rapid advance of Islamic State (IS). His visit comes after the US …

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius urged Iraq’s bickering leaders on Sunday to form an inclusive government capable of countering Islamic State militants advancing through the north of the country.

Egypt stressed its rejection of any foreign intervention in its neighbour Libya, during a visit by top Egyptian officials on Sunday. The delegation was headed by Assistant Foreign Minister for Neighbouring Countries Mohamed Badr El-Din Zayed and included the Egyptian Ambassador to Libya Mohamed Abu Bakr and representatives of several …

Secretary of State John Kerry flew to Kabul Thursday in a surprise visit to meet with the country’s two presidential candidates to help accelerate the ballot auditing process and build upon the political framework for Afghanistan’s future government. A Senior State Department Official told reporters, “We really want to see …

Pro-Russian separatists have claimed to have shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 military aircraft east of the country on Thursday. The fighter jet was shot down near the village of Zhdanivka, some 40kms northeast of the city of Donetsk, Russian-owned news agency Interfax-Ukraine reported quoting separatist sources.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev threatened to prevent foreign airplanes from passing through Russia’s airspace. Medvedev warned the US and the European Union against the sanctions imposed over Russia’s economy, noting that his country will have to take anti-sanctions measures, in a statement aired by the Russian television on

Libya’s newly elected house of representatives on Wednesday called for an immediate ceasefire under United Nations supervision to end three weeks of clashes among rival armed factions that have killed more than 200 people.