US strike in Syria kills al-Qaeda-linked planner, hints at changing militant networks Members of Syria’s al-Qaeda branch, Huras ad-Din, have been joining Ansar al-Islam as US drone strikes have continued to pick off Huras ad-Din's leaders, a report to the UN Security Council noted in July. Syria
US troop drawdown in Syria on hold over regime stability concerns While American troops in Iraq hand over operations against the Islamic State to Baghdad's forces, the parallel drawdown in neighboring Syria has been halted amid concerns about the abilities of the new Islamist-led government in Damascus. By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
US troops in Iraq shift to Erbil to focus on ISIS in Syria The US mission against the Islamic State is relocating its headquarters and most of its troops from Baghdad to Erbil as the prime minister's coalition faces reelection in November. Iraq
Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria Uncertainty about Syria’s long-term stability and the the US military’s future presence in the country have increased urgency among some Pentagon officials to further reduce the population of nearly 30,000 suspected ISIS-associated detainees in the camps. Syria
Forces in Iraq's Anbar unite for cross-border anti-IS operation As the second phase of the operation to retake the last major pocket of territory held by the Islamic State across the border continues, local Iraqi forces in the western Anbar city of Qaim are wary but hopeful that some of their disappeared may soon be found. Iraq
Mosul’s Fine Arts Faculty picks up pieces in destroyed city Cleaning up burned classrooms and destroyed statues, professors and students have reopened the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Mosul and even launched an art exhibition. Iraq
Iraqi, Syrian forces work together to secure border The Iraqi army is coordinating with its Syrian counterpart to secure the border between the two countries and to prevent terrorist elements from moving between the two countries. Iraq
The Islamic State in Iran The court proceedings against alleged Islamic State members and sympathizers who facilitated the attacks in Tehran last year offer a rare insight into how the terrorist group operates in Iran. Iran
Key arrests tighten noose around Islamic State's Baghdadi Iraq's capture of five key members of the Islamic State organization will assist the Iraqi intelligence service in destroying the organization and preventing its emergence in a new form. Iraq
Iraqi air force targets IS sites in Syria ahead of elections Despite earlier opposition to any Iraqi military intervention in Syria, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the air force to strike Islamic State sites in Syria for the second time this year. Iraq
Will Iraqi elections avoid traditional sectarian divides? While the May 12 elections include Shiite candidates running in predominantly Sunni areas and vice versa, Iraqis are divided over whether or not this represents a step toward overcoming sectarian divides. Iraq
Electoral commission attack destabilizes shaky situation in Libya The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the May 2 attack on Libya’s High National Election Commission headquarters in Tripoli, raising more security concerns for the upcoming elections. Libya
Pentagon blows deadline to pry Iraq off US military aid The Donald Trump administration will continue to foot the bill for rebuilding Iraq’s defense institutions amid rising Iranian influence. Iraq
Egypt, Russia making most of collaboration prospects Moscow and Cairo are fostering cooperation in various areas and are sure to maintain close bilateral relations in the midterm. Egypt
Rural areas southwest of Kirkuk grapple with fears of IS sleeper cells The Fatha road snakes behind the heavily damaged Beiji oil refinery, crossing between the low-altitude Hamreen and Makhoul mountain ranges into an area of okra fields and mullahs who fear Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells. Iraq
Baghdad clamps down on cross-border arms smuggling While security along the Iraqi-Syrian border has improved with the near defeat of the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces still have their hands full trying to prevent arms smuggling and attacks by what is left of the terror group. Iraq
