In battle for Iraq’s Mosul, many forces with many motives
By SUSANNAH GEORGE and LEE KEATH An unlikely array of forces is converging on the city of Mosul, lining up for a battle on the historic plains of northern Iraq…
Islamic State group
Ahead of truce, Assad vows to retake Syria from ‘terrorists’
By PHILIP ISSA Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed on Monday that his government would take back land from “terrorists” and rebuild the country in remarks made just hours before the…
US, Russia seal Syria cease-fire, new military partnership
By BRADLEY KLAPPER and JAMEY KEATEN The United States and Russia working in lockstep against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s affiliate in Syria. A rejuvenated truce that will compel…
Wave of bombings in Syria claimed by IS kill at least 48
By SARAH EL DEEB The Islamic State group launched a series of suicide bombings and other attacks across Syria on Monday, killing at least 48 people as it targeted government-held…
IS buried thousands in 72 mass graves, AP finds
By LORI HINNANT and DESMOND BUTLER Surrounded by smoke and flames, the sound of gunshots echoing around him, the young man crouched in the creek for hours, listening to the…
US, Russia renew push for elusive agreement on Syria
By MATTHEW LEE and JAMEY KEATEN The United States and Russia on Friday renewed efforts to secure a military and humanitarian cooperation agreement for war-torn Syria after months of hesitation,…
IS struggles to retain grip as it loses ground in Iraq
By BALINT SZLANKO As the Islamic State group loses ground in Iraq, the militants are showing strains in their rule over areas they still control, growing more brutal, killing deserters…
Iraq executes 36 men convicted in Islamic State massacre
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA Iraq on Sunday executed 36 men convicted of taking part in the Islamic State group’s massacre of hundreds of soldiers in 2014, officials said. The men were…