Oct 28 Pence dismisses concerns that pullout from Syria weakened the U.S. By Magan Crane Vice President Mike Pence defended the Trump administration’s decision to move U.S. troops out of northern Syria, citing the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi over the weekend as evidence that the United States’ position in the… Continue reading
Oct 28 Security increased at IS prisons after leader’s death By Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press Forces from the Kurdish-led internal security agency were "on high alert" after Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's death in anticipation of possible riots or attacks. Continue reading
Oct 27 Watch 3:56 What al-Baghdadi’s death means for Islamic State leadership A U.S. military raid this weekend achieved the long-standing goal of killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. But with the group’s continued presence around the globe, who will fill the leadership vacuum left by his death?… Continue watching
Oct 27 Timeline of the rise and fall of the Islamic State group By Associated Press Key moments in the rise and fall of the Islamic State group. Continue reading
Oct 27 Watch 4:30 How a U.S. military raid killed the Islamic State’s leader By PBS NewsHour President Trump on Sunday described a harrowing U.S. military assault that led to the death this weekend of the long-sought leader of the Islamic State group. Nick Schifrin, foreign affairs and defense correspondent for NewsHour, joins Hari Sreenivasan from Washington,… Continue watching
Oct 25 Esper says U.S. troops, armored vehicles going to Syria oil fields By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The U.S. will send armored reinforcements into eastern Syria to bolster defenses against a potential move by Islamic State militants on oil fields controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Friday. Continue reading
Oct 23 Defense secretary in Baghdad to discuss U.S. troops leaving Syria By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Mark Esper has said that under the current plan, all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military would continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State. Continue reading
Oct 13 Syria’s Kurds look to Assad for protection after US pullout By Lefteris Pitarakis, Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press Syria's Kurds said Syrian government forces agreed Sunday to help them fend off Turkey's invasion — a major shift in alliances that came after President Trump ordered all U.S. troops withdrawn from the northern border area amid the rapidly deepening… Continue reading
Oct 11 Syrian Kurds say Turkish shells hit ISIS prison By Sarah El Deeb, Associated Press Dhaos and the ongoing assault have raised fears that the Turkish offensive on Kurdish-held northeastern Syria may undermine the security of over two dozen facilities where 10,000 Islamic State militants are held. Continue reading
Oct 07 As impeachment looms, GOP revolts against Trump on Syria By Steve Peoples, Associated Press A chief Trump loyalist in Congress called the move "unnerving to the core." An influential figure in conservative media condemned it as "a disaster." And Trump's former top NATO envoy said it was "a big mistake" that would threaten the… Continue reading