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
Opening Homs-Hama road proving tricky for all sides in Syria Conflicting reports about the opening of the Homs-Hama road have been issued as both the Syrian regime and opposition look to leverage the strategic route. Syria
Can Egypt’s Al-Azhar fight extremism through 'e-fatwas'? Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Center launched a new website to answer questions about fatwas in a bid to fight extremist thought, which analysts believe is a far-fetched goal. Egypt
US faces WWII-scale explosives cleanup in Iraq after Islamic State fight Cleaning up the booby traps that IS fighters have left all over the country will take many years and millions of dollars. Iraq
Congress rejects growing effort to replace 2001 war authorization The US Senate today took up the post-9/11 military mandate for the first time since its enactment 16 years ago. United States
Iran claims it foiled major IS plot ahead of holy month Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it has arrested an Islamic State member who was allegedly organizing 300 terrorists in the country for various attacks during the holy month of Muharram. Iran
Saudi-Iranian rapprochement remains mirage Despite talk of an impending rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, facts on the ground suggest that reconciliation is not yet on the horizon. Saudi Arabia
Don’t let Islamic State slip the noose in Syria As Russia beefs up its offensive in Syria, the situation there looks promising, but it’s time for Moscow and Washington to cooperate in a final push to eliminate the Islamic State. Syria
Shiite iconography electrifies Iranians on Syria The beheading of an Iranian fighter on the Syrian frontier is proving to be a watershed moment in the Iranian public’s view of the country’s military intervention in Syria. Syria
Hundreds of Russian children found in Mideast orphanages Children ripped from their homes in Russia and secreted off by relatives said to be fighting for the Islamic State are now turning up abandoned in the Middle East. Iraq
Pro-Iranian Shiite factions lose popular support in Iraq The recent agreement between Hezbollah and a group of pro-Islamic State fighters to arrange their evacuation from the Lebanese-Syrian border to the Syrian-Iraqi border triggered an outburst of public anger against Hezbollah and Iraqi factions fighting alongside Hezbollah on Syrian territory for years. Iraq
How Islamic State is undermining peace prospects in Libya As Libya’s rival parties are moving forward toward a political solution, it seems that the Islamic State and other extremist organizations are re-emerging on the internal scene in a bid to torpedo any such efforts for peace. Libya
Stranded by US airstrikes, IS fighters fleeing Lebanon retreat to Syria The Pentagon says it will leave the militants alone if they don't try to link up with Islamic State forces on the Iraqi border. Iraq
