[Published here January 16, 2018]
The Islamic State group has been roundly defeated across much of Syria — which made it all the more surprising when it announced an official comeback in the country’s northwest last week.
ISIS
After IS, rotting corpses and empty jail cells in Syria’s Raqa | AFP
[Published here October 18, 2017]
Raqa (Syria) (AFP) – Days ago in Syria’s Raqa, die-hard jihadists made their final stand in the city’s national hospital. On Wednesday, it stood eerily silent, its entrance inhabited only by swarming flies and two rotting corpses.
US-led strike in Syria blocks IS fighters evacuated from Lebanon | AFP
[Published here on August 30, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – The US-led coalition carried out two sets of air strikes on Wednesday to block Islamic State group fighters evacuated from Lebanon from reaching eastern Syria, its spokesman told AFP.
US-backed Syria force ousts IS from half of Raqa | AFP
[Published here on July 27, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – A US-backed alliance has ousted Islamic State group jihadists from half of their Syrian bastion Raqa, a monitor said Wednesday, as the escalating fighting drove up the civilian death toll.
Mosul battle leaving legacy of environmental damage | AFP
[Published here on December 12, 2016]
Qayyarah, Iraq // The battle to retake Mosul from ISIL is leaving a legacy of environmental damage and health risks that will pose dangers to people for years to come.
Iraqi firefighters battle to tame IS oil well fires | AFP
[Published here on November 20, 2016]
Clad in red helmets and surgical masks, the firefighters emerged exhausted from the massive column of smoke streaming almost incessantly out of an oil well in northern Iraq.
Informants and interrogations crucial to Mosul advance | AFP
[Published here on November 19, 2016]
Identification cards and cell phones in hand, dozens of Iraqi men and boys trudge down a dusty road in eastern Mosul towards intelligence officials waiting apprehensively outside the neighbourhood mosque.
