Kayla Mueller’s boyfriend describes effort to free her
By FELICIA FONSECA Kayla Mueller was in a detention cell in Syria, face to face with her boyfriend who was posing as her husband. Had she told her captors she…
Middle East
Video purports to show IS militants beheading hostages
By ASHRAF KHALIL AND MAGGIE MICHAEL A video purporting to show the mass beheading of Coptic Christian hostages was released Sunday by militants in Libya affiliated with the Islamic State…
Political stakes high for Iran’s president in nuclear talks
By ADAM SCHRECK Throughout the long negotiations over the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, President Hassan Rouhani has withstood scathing criticism from hard-liners at home by sticking to his case…
Ancient tablets displayed in Jerusalem fuel looting debate
By DANIEL ESTRIN At first glance, the ancient Babylonian tablets on exhibit for the first time at a Jerusalem museum look like nothing more than pockmarked lumps of clay. But…
Egypt court orders release of Al-Jazeera English journalists
By MAGGIE MICHAEL An Egyptian judge on Thursday ordered the release on bail of a pair of Al-Jazeera English journalists being retried on terror-related charges, bringing cheers from their families…
Obama sends Congress request for military force against IS
By NEDRA PICKLER and DAVID ESPO President Barack Obama sent Congress legislation Wednesday to authorize military force against Islamic State fighters, asking lawmakers to “show the world we are united…
Fresh off victory over IS in Kobani, Kurds seek more success
By ZEINA KARAM and MOHAMMED RASOOL For Kurdish fighters, last month’s victory over Islamic State militants in the town of Kobani in northern Syria was only the beginning. Their ambition…
From Jordan base, UAE resumes airstrikes on Islamic State
By ADAM SCHRECK United Arab Emirates fighter planes roared out of an air base in Jordan on Tuesday to pound Islamic State militant positions, marking a return to combat operations…