The ISIS immolation video reveals a totalitarian cult, but Jordan and other regimes in the anti-ISIS coalition are also despotic—while Syria's pro-democratic forces are betrayed.
Kurdish forces made further gains against ISIS at Kobani in the final days of 2014, while the Peshmerga are preparing an offensive to drive the jihadis from Kurdish lands in Iraq.
The NATO "withdrawal" from Afghanistan was quietly marked by a Kabul ceremony—as air-strikes, suicide attacks and gun-battles with Taliban insurgents continued without pause.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that US-led airstrikes in Syria have killed over 900—including 785 ISIS fighters, 72 Nusra Front militants and 52 civilians.
The US has started to air-drop weapons to Kurdish forces defending Kobani against ISIS—opening a new set of contradictions for the Rojava autonomous zone.
ISIS militants destroyed the Citadel of Tikrit, birthplace of Saladin and one of Iraq's most important archeological sites. The jihadists meanwhile seized several Syrian towns.
The Obama administration is preparing to carry out a campaign against ISIS that may take three years to complete, involving a coalition of some 40 countries.
Ground combat engagements have surpassed improvised explosive devices as the most common cause of conflict-related civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan issued its 2013 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, which found a total of 8,615 civilian casualties.
Human Rights Watch urged the International Criminal Court to expedite an inquiry into war crimes committed in Afghanistan by insurgent and government forces alike.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejected the Loya Jirga's recommendation that he sign an agreement extending the US troop presence, citing continued civilian casualties.
Amnesty International urged the US to conduct a thorough, independent investigation into allegations that CIA drone strikes have resulted in recent civilian casualties in Pakistan.
