Islamic State

A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stands guard in a prison where men suspected to be afiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group are jailed in northeast Syria in the city of Hasakeh on Oct. 26, 2019.

US military completes evacuation of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The detainee transfer opens the door for US troops to further withdraw from Syria ahead of a potential military confrontation with Iran.

A campfire burns inside al-Hol camp on Jan. 26, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Exclusive

Syrian Kurdish officials say 66 Turkish ISIS fighters transferred for relocation to Iraq

The detainees were handed over from SDF custody to the US-led coalition for transfer to Iraqi prisons.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on Jan. 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria.

Feature

Syrian Kurds say US ignored pleas for help as ISIS detainees turned on them in al-Hol

Chaos at al-Hol during clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus underscored the widening security vacuum amid Kurdish claims of US abandonment.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

In this handout photo in an undisclosed location, US Airmen prepare to load GBU-31 munition systems onto F-15E Strike Eagles within the US Central Command area of responsibility, Dec. 18, in support of Operation Hawkeye Strike.

US launches 5 airstrikes in Syria on suspected ISIS sites: What to know

A series of five airstrikes over the past week in Syria comes as the US military increasingly relies on Damascus' forces to contain Islamic State remnants.

Latest News

France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know

Syrian Democratic Forces fighters stand on a pick-up truck to provide security during an inspection of SDF positions on the Tell Brak frontline in Syria on Jan. 26, 2026.

Analysis

Syria’s Kurdish pullback hands Damascus a win — and new ISIS risks

Syrian government troops patrol the streets of Tabqa, in Raqqa province, on the southwestern banks of the Euphrates, Jan. 18, 2026.

Cagatay Cebe

By Cagatay Cebe

In Istanbul, reporting on security and counterterrorism

Feature

ISIS brides face uncertain future as Damascus clashes with Syria’s Kurds

Roj Camp

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Could US shift on Syria’s Kurds unlock progress with Turkey?

Syrian government forces ride on the roof of a vehicle as they deploy after crossing the Euphrates River in the province of Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria, on Jan. 19, 2026.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Israeli soldiers patrol on March 30, 2022.

After three terror attacks, Israel beefs up security

Worried that the three attacks might only be the beginning, Israeli security agencies deploy multiple efforts to restore calm during the upcoming Ramadan and Passover period.

Lilach Shoval

By Lilach Shoval

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Arabs across Israel condemn Islamic State-inspired attacks

Arab Israeli leaders have roundly denounced the terror attack March 27 in Hadera that killed two police officers.

Egyptians carry the coffin of a soldier who was killed a day earlier in the restive Sinai Peninsula in an attack claimed by the Islamic State, during a funeral ceremony in the 10th of Ramadan city, north of Cairo, Egypt, July 8, 2017.

Islamic State affiliate in Sinai steps up attacks under new leader

Since the radical Islamic State-affiliate Wilayat Sinai pledged allegiance to the new IS leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, it intensified its operations in northern Sinai, where they are confronting local tribes.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Israel shocked by Islamic State-inspired terror attack

Israel’s security agencies were blindsided when the killer of four civilians in Beersheba this week turned out to be an Israeli citizen from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah a-Sisi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed meet in Sharm el-Sheikh, March 22 2022

Analysis

The Takeaway: Israel looks to mediate Saudi, Emirati anger over Iran deal

Zelenskyy’s Holocaust comparison unsettles Israelis; Islamic State takes advantage of Russian distraction in Ukraine; Egypt, Sudan deepen military ties; Lebanon embraces cryptocurrency amidst crisis; Jenin becomes model of resistance to Israeli occupation — all in less than 1,100 words!

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Tyler Huffman

Andrew Parasiliti

Joe Snell

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Tyler Huffman , Andrew Parasiliti , Joe Snell

Routes to Palmyra-Deir ez-Zor and Damascus-Iraq.

Islamic State takes advantage of Ukraine war to increase attacks

The Islamic State has recently intensified its activity against the Syrian government forces and its allies, setting up a number of ambushes in the Syrian desert and killing dozens.

Qurashi

Islamic State names new leader after prior chief's death

An audio statement from IS confirmed previous reports that Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi is its new leader, but his real identity and background is not clear.

Iraqi demonstrators wave a flag as they gather in Tahrir Square.

Despite government efforts, corruption still threatens Iraqis

Efforts to crack down on corruption in Iraq have resulted in improvement but much remains to be done, especially among forces tasked with protecting the population.

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Sipan Murad, a Yazidi girl who was held captive by the Islamic State, at her house in Rottweil, Germany, on Feb. 18, 2022.

Culture

Against all odds, Yazidi girl outlives her top-ranking Islamic State captors

Sipan Ajo, a 22-year-old Yazidi survivor from Kocho, emerged six months ago from seven years of captivity in Syria and has described her ordeal in detail to a journalist for the first time.

Syrian national army

Family ties fuel Islamic State to rebel pipeline in northern Syria

The stories of fighters who turned from the Islamic State to Syria's rebel opposition forces show the how kinship ties, regionalism, and material concerns often trump ideology in the Syrian war.

A picture shows a snow-covered displacement camp for Yazidis in the area of Dawudya, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Dahuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jan. 25, 2022.

Yazidis react to killing of Islamic State leader

The death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed war crimes against the Yazidi community in Sinjar and supervised the Sinjar genocide in which thousands of Yazidis were killed, sparked varied reactions among Yazidis.

Taliban head of the Nangarhar intelligence services Dr. Bashir (C) walks inside the provincial intelligence compound in Jalalabad on Dec. 12, 2021.

Border crossings and foreign fighters rise after Taliban takeover

A recent UN report and other worrying signs point to a likely surge in both an al-Qaeda and Islamic State presence in Afghanistan in the six months since the Taliban has been in power.