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
Iraq announces ISIS network busted in West Africa: What to know Activity by the Islamic State’s West Africa branch is increasing, according to some observers, and Iraq is looking to strengthen counterterrorism coordination with other states. Iraq
Iran holds military drill near Iraqi border to counter ISIS infiltration The stated goal of the exercise appeared as a shift from Iran's older official line, in which it had declared and taken credit for a "full eradication" of the Islamic State (ISIS). Iran
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander: 'We don’t want to become battleground between US, Iran' Mazlum Kobane also revealed that the Iran-backed groups had begun to target SDF military positions. Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
In Israel, Biden says hospital blast appears done by 'other team' Upon his arrival in Israel, US President Biden said that the blast at al-Ahli hospital in Gaza appears to have been committed by the Palestinians, without naming Hamas or Islamic Jihad. Israel
US captures Islamic State official in Syria as fighting renews among allies The US military said it captured a senior IS official in Syria on Saturday, as renewed fighting Monday between Kurdish-led forces and Arab tribes in Deir Ezzor raised new questions as to the open-ended nature of the US mission. Syria
Libya captures Islamic State leader behind 2018 capital bombing The Islamic State has exploited the chaos in Libya to extend its influence. North Africa
Russian airstrikes target Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria The al-Qaeda offshoot is focused on defending its territory from Russian-backed Syrian government forces, but it has also clashed with the Islamic State recently. Syria
Iraq's war-battered cities grapple with rising resistance to antibiotics Six years after the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State, the city battles a silent enemy: abnormally high rates of multidrug-resistant infections. It's a phenomenon fueled by decades of war that poses a massive threat to global health. Iraq
Iran claims Israel behind shrine attack, pledges revenge The shooting renewed debates on Iran's intelligence failures in thwarting deadly attacks in contrast to the official assertion that the country is an "island of stability" in a volatile Middle East. Iran
Islamic State attack kills 26 Syrian soldiers, third in 2 weeks The deadly attack, the group’s third this month, follows the death of another one of its leaders. Syria
US, Iraq defense chiefs discuss post-Islamic State strategy Congress has long sought answers as to how the Pentagon plans to prepare Iraq’s military forces to stand on their own after the defeat of the Islamic State. This week, the Biden administration took a first step. Iraq
Islamic State attack in Raqqa kills 10 Syrian soldiers, second in a week IS militants attacked several positions and checkpoints of the Syrian government and allied fighters in the group’s former stronghold of Raqqa. Syria
Iraq's Mosul rises from Islamic State ashes to rebuild minarets, museum As Mosul makes a slow revival from the remnants of war, a host of challenges remain, including corrupt officials and institutional weaknesses in Iraq. Iraq
