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. Turkey
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. Iraq
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. Turkey
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. Syria
Exclusive Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq 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 By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
What to do about 10,000 al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in Idlib? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stymies Turkey’s bid for cease-fire, welcomes Syrian assault. Syria
Anbar governor wants police boosted and military back on bases Local authorities in Iraq's western province of Anbar have demanded that international forces step in to guard the province's border with Syria, given the various competing forces on both sides. Iraq
Foreign IS fighters face justice in Baghdad criminal court The Iraqi Central Criminal Court in Baghdad began trying foreign fighters who joined the Islamic State and were captured in the war to liberate Iraqi territory from IS. Iraq
US-Turkey cooperation against Islamic State ongoing, Pentagon says Ankara and Washington remain committed to the joint mission of rooting out Islamic State holdouts despite the diplomatic row over Pastor Andrew Brunson, Pentagon and State Department officials say. Syria
IS targets rural area near Baghdad Tarmiya, a rural area near Baghdad, is in the sights of the Islamic State; sleeper cells there are spreading through the Mashhadani tribe. Iraq
Not everyone in Iraq welcomes peshmerga's possible return to Kirkuk As Iraq's central and Kurdish governments tentatively make nice again, the potential return of the Kurdish peshmerga to Kirkuk has some groups in the country on edge. Iraq
Iran readjusts its Syria strategy amid Russia’s changing role Having achieved military victory in the key southwestern region of Syria, Iran is actively maneuvering to redefine its approach to securing its aims in the war-torn country. Israel
Terrorist attack on Erbil government building raises concern in Iraqi Kurdistan An attack on an Erbil government building highlights homegrown terror networks and reveals dangerous security fissures in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Renewal of anti-terror law threatens human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi Kurdistan parliament has extended an austere law put in place to combat the Islamic State, raising serious concerns about human rights abuses and trials behind closed doors. Iraq
Iraq struggles to provide war orphans with identities The living victims of the war in Iraq against the Islamic State include children whose parents were killed or can't be identified. Iraq
IS remains a threat in Iraqi desert, tribal villages Popular Mobilization Units are conducting regular patrols in the Iraqi desert to prevent activity by Islamic State sleeper cells. Iraq
Islamic State awakens sleeper cells in Iraq's Kirkuk The Islamic State is gradually rekindling its terrorist activities in Iraq through sleeper cells in Kirkuk province, where security is already stretched thin by political unrest. Iraq
