Islamic State

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains 11 over ISIS-linked attack on Israeli Consulate: What to know

The attack was likely designed to portray Turkey as protecting Israel by targeting the local police guarding the consulate, one observer notes.

An Iraqi oil tanker waits at the Khawr Abd Allah canal leading up to Al-Faw port in southern Iraq, on June 6, 2024.

Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds

As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory.

Women and children seen inside al-Hol camp, amongst them some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities, and including relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists in the desert region of Hasakah province on Jan. 25, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Turkey to repatriate its ISIS fighters from Iraq as jihadis escalate Syria attacks

Ankara will repatriate its nationals from among thousands of fighters transferred from Syria, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected to be afiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2019.

US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran.

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Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq

A campfire burns inside al-Hol camp on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US launches 5 airstrikes in Syria on suspected ISIS sites: What to know

In this handout photo in an undisclosed location, US Airmen prepare to load GBU-31 munition systems onto F-15E Strike Eagles within the US Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 18, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know

Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand on a pick-up truck to provide security during an inspection of SDF positions on the Tell Brak frontline in Syria on Jan. 26, 2026.

Syrian national army

Family ties fuel Islamic State to rebel pipeline in northern Syria

The stories of fighters who turned from the Islamic State to Syria's rebel opposition forces show the how kinship ties, regionalism, and material concerns often trump ideology in the Syrian war.

A picture shows a snow-covered displacement camp for Yazidis in the area of Dawudya, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Dahuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jan. 25, 2022.

Yazidis react to killing of Islamic State leader

The death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed war crimes against the Yazidi community in Sinjar and supervised the Sinjar genocide in which thousands of Yazidis were killed, sparked varied reactions among Yazidis.

Taliban head of the Nangarhar intelligence services Dr. Bashir (C) walks inside the provincial intelligence compound in Jalalabad on Dec. 12, 2021.

Border crossings and foreign fighters rise after Taliban takeover

A recent UN report and other worrying signs point to a likely surge in both an al-Qaeda and Islamic State presence in Afghanistan in the six months since the Taliban has been in power.

This picture taken on January 18, 2022 shows excavations around the al-Nuri mosque in the old town of Iraq's northern city Mosul, at the site heavily damaged by Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the 2017 battle for the city.

Culture

UNESCO makes progress in reconstruction of Mosul monuments

Paris-based UNESCO Chief Audrey Azoulay will travel to Mosul in March, to officially launch the second phase of the reconstruction of Mosul monuments destroyed under the Islamic State takeover.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, arrives at the venue of the JCPOA meeting that aims at reviving the Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna on Feb. 8, 2022.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Differences persist as clock ticks on Vienna talks

Islamic State and Turkey; HTS's role in Islamic State leader's killing; Iran's message for Iraq; Gaza's dangerous landfills; Egypt's climate action; and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

Seized Islamic State weapons found in the last stronghold of the extremist group are displayed on March 22, 2019, Al Mayadin, Syria.

Islamic State collaborators received Turkish citizenship, official report shows

A leaked report has revealed details about how the jihadi group used Turkey to traffic money and obtain supplies.

Iraqi soldiers secure buses transporting displaced families from the displaced persons camp in Habbaniyah in Iraq's Anbar province on Nov. 10, 2020.

Islamic State kills Iraqi forces in sparsely populated Anbar desert

Attacks and unexploded ordnance continue to reap victims in Iraq’s vast western desert as security officials deny increased risks associated with a massive recent jailbreak across the border.

Lisa Ferdinando/US Department of Defense via Getty Images

Analysis

Islamic State still 'global operation,' says Pentagon report

Islamic State leader's killing prompted questions on Turkey's role; our reporting from Idlib, Syria.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

A fully veiled woman collects items near the house in which the leader of Islamic State (IS) group Amir Mohammed Said Abd al-Rahman al-Mawla, aka Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi died during a raid by US special forces, in the town of Atme in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, on Feb. 4, 2022.

US raid raises questions on Turkey’s commitment vs. Islamic State

The Islamic State leader’s hideout a stone’s throw away from Turkey's border and Syrian Democratic Forces involvement in the raid have raised fresh questions over Ankara’s fight against the Islamic State.

SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images

After Qurayshi's death, who are Mideast's most wanted terrorists?

Following the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraysh, here's a look at what Middle East terrorists remain at large.

An aerial view of the house in which IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi died, during a raid by US Special Forces, in the town of Atme, Idlib province, Syria, Feb. 4, 2022.

Iraq tightens Syria border control after massive IS jailbreak

Measures have been stepped up along the border with Syria in the now-defunct Islamic State leader’s native province to prevent hundreds of prison escapees from slipping across.

Women mourn by a grave during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group whose remains were found in a mass grave, in the northern Iraqi village of Kojo in Sinjar district, on Dec. 9, 2021.

Islamic State leader’s death brings little solace to Iraq's suffering Yazidis

Yazidis react to the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who played a central role in orchestrating the slaughter and trafficking of the minority group.