Iraqi Kurdistan president: time has come to redraw Middle East boundaries
The president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish north has called on global leaders to acknowledge that the Sykes-Picot pact that led to the boundaries of the modern Middle East has failed, and urged them to broker a new deal paving the way for a Kurdish state. Massoud Barzani, who has led the troubled country’s Kurds […]
Isis: UN recognises Daesh crimes in Iraq as ‘possible genocide’
The United Nations has released a report on the human rights situation in Iraq, stating that Islamic State (Isis) may have committed genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in its attacks against ethnic and religious groups in the country. The report was published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for […]
Military chiefs gather in Paris to bolster Islamic State fight
Defense chiefs from the United States, France, Britain and four other countries meet in Paris on Wednesday to examine ways to build on gains made against Islamic State, including increasing the number of police and army trainers. Islamic State was ousted by government forces from the western Iraqi city of Ramadi last month and […]
EU €3bn deal with Turkey at risk amid differences over who pays
The deal was seen as one of the EU’s key responses to the wave of refugees heading to Europe from Syria, Iraq and other war zones last year. As a major transit country for migrants seeking to reach the EU, Turkey is currently hosting more than 2.2 million refugees. EU states gave initial backing to […]
IS Holding 3,500 Women And Children As ‘Slaves’
Islamic State is holding an estimated 3,500 women and children as slaves in Iraq, the United Nations has said. Those being held are primarily women and children from the Yazidi community, but a number are from other ethnic and religious minority groups, according to a report issued in Geneva. The UN Assistance Mission […]
Iraq conflict: Civilians suffering ‘staggering’ violence
The UN says violence suffered by civilians in Iraq “remains staggering”, with at least 18,800 killed between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015. Some 3.2 million people have also been displaced internally over the same period, according to a new report. The UN accuses so-called Islamic State of systematic and widespread violence, including holding […]
War on Isis: Millions in cash destroyed in US air strikes on Daesh warehouse in Iraq
A US air strike has destroyed an Islamic State (Isis) cash storage facility in Iraq containing currencies estimated to be worth millions of dollars. The warehouse, located in the town of Mosul, was pounded by two 2,000-pound bombs although it is not known exactly how much money or which currencies were kept at the compound. […]
ISIS burns fighters alive for letting Ramadi fall
ISIS fighters who fled to the terror group’s Iraqi stronghold of Mosul after being defeated in Ramadi were burned alive in the town square, sources told FoxNews.com, in an unmistakable message to fighters who may soon be defending the northern city from government forces. Several residents of Mosul recounted the grisly story for stateside […]
ISIS territory in Syria and Iraq
The Islamic State’s territory in 2015 shrank by 40% from its maximum expansion in Iraq and by 20% in Syria as international forces pushed its militants out of several cities, a spokesman of the US-led coalition said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh, swept through […]
ISIS Continues to Ransack Christian Churches, Homes, and Cemeteries
Continuing its onslaught against Christians in the Middle East, ISIS has laid waste to numerous Assyrian churches and homes in Iraq while vandalizing Christian monasteries and cemeteries throughout the region. Last week, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria turned 10 Assyrian homes into ruins while injuring several in a bomb blast that also […]