The U.S. military could move against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria once its militants are determined to have become a direct threat to the U.S. homeland or Europe, but not before, U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey has said. Right now, the insurgent group is still …
Read More »Britain will not collaborate with Assad to combat Islamic State
Britain will not work with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to combat Islamic State (IS) fighters in the country and his permission would not be needed for any military intervention, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Friday. Hammond also said Britain had no plans to arm moderate fighters in Syria’s civil war, …
Read More »UN says 700,000 Iraqis are displaced in Kurdish north
About 700,000 Iraqis have gathered in the Kurdish north after being driven from their homes by jihadist fighters, the United Nations said Aug. 22 as it stepped up a massive aid operation to the region. “The Kurdistan region of Iraq is now hosting close to 700,000 displaced Iraqis, most having …
Read More »Over 40 killed by Islamic State attack on Iraq Sunni mosque
Militants targeted a Sunni mosque in a province next to the Iraqi capital during Friday prayers, killing at least 46 people and wounding over 50 as members of the Islamic State group continue to push through the area, officials said.
Read More »France calls on international support on tackling Islamic State
French President Francois Hollande called on Wednesday for an international conference to discuss ways of tackling “Islamic State” insurgents who have seized control of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Read More »Morocco dismantles recruitment cell for Iraq
Moroccan police say they have dismantled a nine-person cell recruiting volunteers to fight with the radical Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. The interior ministry statement on Thursday said the investigation into the network, based in the cities of Tetouan, Fez and Fnideq, was carried out in co-operation with …
Read More »Germany, Italy to provide arms to Kurdish fighters
Germany is prepared to arm Kurdish fighters battling Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq, officials said Wednesday, Aug 20, according to the Associated Press. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier cited the “barbaric” actions of the Islamic State group that has taken control of large parts of Iraq in recent weeks, and the …
Read More »Syrian forces strike Islamic State terrorists
As the U.S. military strikes the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have significantly stepped up their own campaign against militant strongholds in Syria, carrying out dozens of airstrikes against the group’s headquarters in the past two days. While the government in Damascus has long turned …
Read More »Obama hails destruction of Syrian chemical weapons
US President Barack Obama has lauded the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile, which was carried out on board a US Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea, and urged Damascus to fulfil its commitment to destroy its remaining production facilities. “Today we mark an important achievement in our ongoing effort to counter the …
Read More »Syrian troops take over Damascus suburb
Syrian government troops captured a fiercely contested suburb of the capital Thursday after five months of heavy fighting, flushing rebels from their last hideouts and quickly moving to crush pockets of resistance in the surrounding countryside, activists and state media said. The fall of Mleiha, located some 10 km southeast …
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