Kurdish forces drove Islamic State militants back from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Monday, in an advance backed by heavy air strikes from a US-led coalition. Speaking to a local television channel near the frontline, Kirkuk governor Najmaldin Karim, who was wearing a helmet, said the …

The US-led anti-terror coalition on Sunday evening struck an oil refinery under the control of the Islamic State (IS) militants in a border Syrian town near Turkey, killing 30 militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius begins a two day visit to Morocco on Monday. He is to meet Moroccan leaders and discuss bi-lateral issues, trade and terrorism. According to the French foreign ministry, Fabius hopes to stress the issue of cooperation.