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
Defeating IS in Yemen While the Islamic State has faced major defeats in Iraq and Syria, the protracted war in Yemen has provided the terrorist group's branch in that country oxygen to breathe. Saudi Arabia
Last IS-held Iraqi town retaken amid car bombs, IEDs Iraqi security forces seized Rawa, the last Islamic State-held town located in Anbar province, after a circuitous and dangerous journey to their destination. Iraq
Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Syria
The road to rebuilding Raqqa The city of Raqqa, newly liberated from the Islamic State by the Kurdish-led and US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces, will now face the challenges of reconstruction and uprooting the jihadi threat once and for all. Iraq
'Terrorist rehab' opens its doors in northern Syria An anti-radicalism center has opened its doors in northern Aleppo and is aimed at rehabilitating young people indoctrinated by extremist groups such as the Islamic State. Syria
Opposition leader implores US not to abandon Syria to Russia and Iran The new leader of the Syrian national coalition shared with Al-Monitor his plans for lobbying the Trump administration during his first visit to Washington. Syria
Kurdish crisis imperils US anti-terror fight in Syria The dispute between Baghdad and Erbil threatens a key border crossing used to resupply US-backed troops battling the Islamic State in Syria. Iraq
Raqqa mothers recount horrors of life under IS as city liberated The thousands of Syrians who fled Raqqa when it fell under the Islamic State’s control have gained an inch of hope to return to their homes after the city was recently liberated. Lebanon
How the Syrian army is working to gain control of road to Raqqa The Syrian regime army took control of Hama’s eastern countryside from the Islamic State, which opened a road toward eastern Syria and areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces. Syria
Islamic State sees dollar signs in Egypt As the Islamic State and its affiliates are forced out of Syria and Iraq, their recent bank robbery in North Sinai province indicates they might be turning to targets in Egypt to refill their coffers. Egypt
Egypt prepares for return of IS fighters' children Egypt is preparing to welcome and provide rehabilitation services for 15 Egyptian children who were found in Islamic State camps in Libya. Egypt
Are Russia, Iran outflanking the US in Iraq? Russia deftly manages potentially choppy ties with Iran, while the United States claims Iran "subverting Iraq." Iraq
