In both Iraq and Syria, anti-ISIL forces have been making tremendous strides in their fight against the Islamic State. Starting with Syria, the ancient city of Palmyra has recently been recaptured by the Syrian government with the backing of Russia and Iran. Palmyra, the UNESCO world heritage site, has been heavily contested, with the city itself being captured by ISIL… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The advance slowed during several days of bad weather, but was renewed on Sunday. The latest gains have brought government troops and police closer to Mosul’s densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under ISIL rule. The Iraqi government says 65,000 people have left Mosul in an attempt to… Read more »
Al Jazeera: US-backed Syrian fighters have cut the last main road out of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to Kurdish military sources and a Britain-based monitor. If confirmed, it would be a major advance for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed mainly Kurdish Syrian group, in its phased… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The Syrian army said it has recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December after having been driven out eight months before. “With backing from the… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Bahrain says it has uncovered an international “terrorist cell” comprising 54 members, with police arresting 25 suspects in the Gulf country. The group includes 12 based in Iran and Iraq, one in Germany and 41 – including 10 who escaped prison in January – from Bahrain, the information ministry said on Friday in a statement sent to Al Jazeera. The statement did… Read more »
Al Jazeera: At least 23 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in air raids on an ISIL-held village in northern Syria, according to a monitor. The fighter jets that carried out the strikes were believed to belong to the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) armed group, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said… Read more »