Iraq
Kurds take Kirkuk, ISIS press offensive
Iraq's contested northern city of Kirkuk was taken by Kurdish forces after being abandoned by the army—while the ISIS offensive is halted just 75 miles outside Baghdad.
Tag: al-Qaeda
Iraq
Iraq: half a million flee Mosul; ISIS advance south
An estimated half a million people have fled Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, since it was seized by ISIS forces—who have since taken Tikrit and are advancing on Baghdad.
Iraq
Iraqi troops repel ISIS assault on Mosul
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) launched an assault on Samarra in central Iraq and then attempted to seize the northern city of Mosul, pointing to a renewed insurgency.
Watching the Shadows
DoD approves war crimes trial for Qaeda leader
The US Department of Defense approved the war crimes trial of Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a leader of al-Qaeda's armed forces in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2004.
Greater Middle East
ISIS behind Brussels Jewish Museum killings?
News that a suspect in the Brussels Jewish museum killings fought in Syria with the insurgent group ISIS comes as European police escalate their crackdown on Syria "returnees."
New York City
Islamophobia at Ground Zero —again?
Protests are mounting over a supposedly Islamophobic video to be screened at New York's Ground Zero museum—yet few have actually seen it. What is the truth here?
Watching the Shadows
Benghazigate and Internet freedom
The provocateur video that supposedly incited the Benghazi attack is at the center of a persistent news story—but we can't see it, because the Ninth Circuit ordered it suppressed.
Greater Middle East
Transfer of Homs: the beginning of the end?
Contrary to regime propaganda, the fall of Homs to government forces comes amid rebel gains elsewhere in Syria. With the jihadists in disarray, the FSA prepares to open a new front.
Iraq
Syria: test ground for anti-Shia jihad?
An “Anti-Shia Alliance” convention in Jakarta brought togehter interntional Sunni militants to declare “jihad” on “heretics”—as sectarian attacks mount in Syria and Iraq.
Watching the Shadows
Panel calls for transfer of Yemeni Gitmo prisoner
The Defense Department's Periodic Review Secretariat recommended the release of Ali Ahmad Mohamed al-Razihi, a Yemeni prisoner currently held at Guantánamo Bay.
Greater Middle East
Saudi Arabia: death sentences in 2003 attacks
A special anti-terrorism court in Saudi Arabia sentenced three people to death for their roles in attacks on expatriate resident compounds in Riyadh in May 2003.
Greater Middle East
Egypt: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis a terrorist organization
Following a series of audacious attacks in Cairo, an Egyptian court ruled that militant group Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis be officially considered a terrorist organization.