Feature Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
US launches 5 airstrikes in Syria on suspected ISIS sites: What to know A series of five airstrikes over the past week in Syria comes as the US military increasingly relies on Damascus' forces to contain Islamic State remnants. Syria
France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
Analysis Syria’s Kurdish pullback hands Damascus a win — and new ISIS risks Cooperation with the United States in the battle against ISIS could prove both a blessing and a curse for the Syrian government. By Cagatay Cebe In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism
Feature ISIS brides face uncertain future as Damascus clashes with Syria’s Kurds By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey? By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
US military airlifts Syria ISIS prisoners to Iraq after SDF retreat: What to know By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Syrian soldiers killed in deadly Islamic State ambush in Deir Ezzor The Syrian army loyal to Bashar al-Assad has struggled to control the country's eastern desert. Syria
Kurdish leaders say poverty 'biggest threat,' driving Syrians into arms of IS Offers of money by the Islamic State to join its ranks prove "irresistible" to those hit hard by Syria's collapsed economy. Syria
Iraq continues to kill, capture IS members as effectiveness questioned Iraqi security forces have captured and killed a number of key Islamic State facilitators and others in the past month amid a US mission transition and concerns over coordination. Iraq
Islamic State's spread beyond Syria, Iraq remains concern for US The State Department's annual report on terrorism said Islamic State branches outside of Iraq and Syria caused more fatalities in 2020 than any previous year. News Brief
Syria, Iraq discuss boosting trade The two countries also discussed cooperation on oil imports earlier this year. News Brief
Pentagon: Four Islamic State fighters killed in nighttime Syria raid Conflicting accounts of the raid emerged amid renewed scrutiny of the Pentagon's oversight of civilian casualties in Syria. Syria
Sinai tribes hunt Islamic State bomb makers Sinai tribes join the hunt for IS explosives engineers, potentially depriving the terrorist group of its last technique in its fight against the Egyptian army. Egypt
Jihadis from Syria blamed for multiple attacks on Iraqi Kurds An onslaught of attacks on Kurdish peshmerga forces and villages in northern Iraq has sparked concerns over the presence of Islamic State cells and whether they have been bulked up by jihadis arriving from Syria. Iraq
Iraqi prime minister visits site of Islamic State attack Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Kurdistan Region security forces in disputed Makhmour. News Brief
Turkey strikes Yazidi militia in Iraq The Sinjar Resistance Units is a member of the Popular Mobilization Units, making it officially part of the Iraqi security forces. Iraq
Islamic State targets peshmerga in Iraq’s disputed Diyala and Makhmour A recent string of attacks on Iraq’s Kurdistan Region peshmerga forces have raised concern over how effective long-discussed coordination with the central government is in the country’s flashpoint disputed territories. Iraq
Islamic State down but not out in Syria and Iraq: Pentagon report Also, Al-Monitor’s on-the-ground reporting on the security situations in Syria and Iraq, including the impact of the Turkish lira crisis on Idlib. Syria
