Christian heritage found ransacked as monastery retaken from Islamic State
KHIDIR ILYAS, Iraq The history pages of Iraq's Christian community lie in charred fragments on the floor of a fourth-century monastery near Mosul which Islamic State militants ransacked during a two-year occupation that ended over the weekend.
Iran's Guards using Trump victory to claw back power
ANKARA Donald Trump's victory and the war on Islamic State have given Iran's hard-line Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps what it sees as a unique opportunity to claw back economic and political power it had lost.
Iraq Shi'ite paramilitaries close to cutting Mosul supply route
TAL AFAR AIR BASE, Iraq Iraqi Shi'ite militias were massing troops on Monday to cut remaining supply routes to Mosul, Islamic State's last major stronghold in Iraq, closing in on the road that links the Syrian and Iraqi parts of its self-declared caliphate. | Video
Turkish-backed rebels and Kurds battle over Syria's al Bab
AMMAN Syrian rebels backed by Turkey who are trying to drive Islamic State from the city of al Bab said on Monday they clashed with U.S.-backed Kurdish forces as both groups seek to dislodge the militants to expand their own territory.
U.N. says nearly one million Syrians besieged; U.S. names, shames commanders
UNITED NATIONS The number of besieged Syrians has more than doubled over the past year to nearly one million, the United Nations aid chief told the Security Council on Monday, as the United States named 13 Syrian military commanders it accused of killing civilians.
Iraq lauds progress on Mosul, expects Trump to continue support
BERLIN Iraq's foreign minister said on Monday that the fight to wrest back control of Mosul from Islamic State was making progress, citing what he called better-than-expected cohesion within Iraqi security forces and the U.S.-led coalition.
Iraqi villagers mourn air strike victims as Mosul toll mounts
FADILIYA, Iraq For Saeed Yousef, being rid of Islamic State came at a high price. As Kurdish forces drove militants from his Iraqi village four weeks ago, an air strike by a U.S.-led coalition hit his brother's home, killing the brother and seven relatives, family and local officials say.
Iraqi Shi'ite fighters mass near flashpoint town west of Mosul
TAL AFAR AIR BASE, Iraq Convoys of military vehicles loaded with Shi'ite paramilitary fighters hurtled across desert terrain in northwestern Iraq towards the Islamic State-held city of Tal Afar, chanting religious slogans and covering their faces to keep out the dust.
Ex-consultant to Iran's U.N. mission pleads guilty to U.S. charges
NEW YORK A former consultant to Iran's mission to the United Nations pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he filed a false tax return substantially understating how much he was paid and conspired to violating a U.S. sanctions law.
Turkey should reject child abuse law shielding men who marry from punishment - U.N.
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A bill that could allow men accused of sexually abusing girls in Turkey to avoid punishment if they marry their victim would create a climate of impunity for child abuse in the country, U.N. agencies warned on Monday.